The mother of a 10-year-old boy killed by a seven-stone dog named ‘Beast’ has condemned the jail sentence given to the animal’s owners.
Jack Lis was attacked by the XL Bully dog while playing with a friend after school in Caerphilly, South Wales.
Amy Salter, 29, and Brandon Hayden, 19, were charged with the dangerous animal when it attacked Jack in November.
Hayden took on the dog after seeing an ad for it on Facebook saying the animal was ‘free’ but ‘not good with other dogs’.
He took ownership of it, but asked his friend Salter if she could keep the dog at her home due to his own lack of space.
Earlier this month, they were both jailed for being in control of a dog that was dangerously out of control.
Hayden was sentenced to four years and six months in prison while Salter was sentenced to three years at Cardiff Crown Court.
But, Jack’s mother, Emma Whitfield, said the sentences did not go far enough and promised to appeal by launching a petition in support of her bid.
“Inside, I’m not sure if I’ll ever get a chance to appeal, but I should do everything in my power to try,” Emma told MailOnline.
“If I do not do this, I will feel like I failed Jack.
‘For Brandon Hayden, the courts said it was medium guilt because the dog was not used as a weapon or for intimidation.
“If that dog can’t be considered intimidating, I really do not know what can.”
In the four days that Hayden and Salter Beast possessed before the attack on Jack, there were a series of incidents where the dog tried to attack humans and other dogs.
CCTV footage shown in court shows Beast jumping up and biting a passerby and jumping on terrified children while the 19-year-old failed to pull him back.
Referring to the footage, Emma said: ‘I would never even want to walk past that dog. To tell me it’s not intimidating is definitely not right. ‘
Emma said it was heartbreaking to know Hayden could be released from prison without serving his full sentence if he is released early for good behavior.
She said she felt some of Hayden’s charges were “apparently not acted on” and also criticized the length of Salter’s sentence.
“Amy Salter stood and laughed while that dog peeked at people and even children,” Emma added.
‘She left it in her house without protection for the dog and no protection for people against the dog. Why does she get away with one and a half years in prison?
‘When you break it down like that, what’s that justice for my son’s death? It is not even close to justice.
‘No sentence will ever be enough. But I definitely think more could have been done. ‘
Emma said in the days after the sentence, she spent time doing research and reading through guidelines.
“We’re just plodding on, I don’t know how else to put it,” she said.
“It’s still a lot about taking it one step at a time, day after day for us.”
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