Latest news with #Oswaldtwistle
Yahoo
01-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Social Circle's Stuart hits league's first double ton
Championship leaders Ribblesdale Wanderers were indebted to the exploits of Sri Lankan professional Heshan Dhanushka as he starred with bat but mainly ball during a double winning weekend in the Anthony Axford North West Cricket League. Ribblesdale won at Oswaldtwistle Immanuel on Saturday and beat Baxenden at home on Sunday, sitting on 107 points with eight wins from 12 games. Advertisement That they are now 17 points clear of second-placed Whalley is largely thanks to Dhanushka. On Sunday, they bowled Baxenden out for 94, with Dhanushka's off-spin accounting for 8-43 from 15 overs - the summer's best bowling return by anyone in the top two divisions of the NWCL. He then top-scored with 50 in a successful reply, achieved for the loss of four wickets. On Saturday, he claimed 5-2 from 3.4 overs against Oswaldtwistle, including three wickets in four balls, to bowl the hosts out for 93. Again, in response, he top-scored with 39 and fashioned a recovery from 16-3 to seal a four-wicket triumph. Advertisement Premiership leaders Read recovered from last week's first defeat to win a nervy clash at bottom-side Lostock by two wickets. The summer's 10th round brought Read their ninth win, surviving a regular loss of wickets in a pursuit of 153. Opener and captain Will Wrathall top-scored with 30. Lostock had been limited to 152-9 in 45 overs. Chris Holt starred for Read with 6-31 from 13 overs. He then contributed 18 to the chase, sharing 46 for the first wicket with Wrathall. Read, who claimed 10 points, are sat on 102 from 10 games, 12 clear of second-placed Farnworth Social Circle (90). Social Circle's Bajan professional Jameel Stuart amassed a sensational unbeaten 202 from 126 balls with 18 sixes in 352-5 at home to shellshocked Padiham, leading a recovery from 41-4. Advertisement Stuart's assault from number four saw 152 runs scored in fours and sixes and represented the first first-team double century in the three-year history of the NWCL, with Padiham later 229 all out. Dave Mather returned five wickets and Stuart 4-20 from 5.4 overs to help FSC claim the full 12 points with a 123-run success. The Championship's bottom side, Walkden, were on the right side of the London Bus Syndrome - you wait ages for one and then two come along at once. Having lost their first eight matches of the season, they have won their last two. They jumped off the bottom courtesy of an impressive win at promotion-chasing Cherry Tree, by two wickets chasing 194. Advertisement Indian overseas amateur Haider Saqlain was their hero with 6-52 from 14 overs in Cherry Tree's 193-9 and a top-score of 44 from number three in reply. However, a 63-run partnership, from 115-6, between Mirza Suhail and Salman Younis proved key for Walkden. Cherry Tree dropped out of the top two promotion places in the second tier, replaced by Whalley, who claimed an eye-catching come-from-behind win at Earby having been bowled out for 90. Their seventh win in 10 was achieved by 35 runs in a contest which saw only one batter make it beyond 20. Whalley pro Levi Wolfenden starred with 7-36 from 12 overs as Earby were bowled out for 55, including Matthew Nutter's 24 not out. Advertisement Wolfenden had top-scored in Whalley's 90 with 15 though was one of five wickets for South African OA Jared Bone. Unfortunately for Bone and Earby, it meant little. Whalley may be 17 points adrift of Ribblesdale but have two games in hand. Back in the Premiership, Little Lever claimed a sixth league win of 2025, by eight wickets at home against Farnworth as they impressively reeled in a target of 216 and now sit third on 79 points. Adil Nisar claimed three wickets in Farnworth's 215-8 before opener Cameron Murray and Pakistani professional Mohammad Junaid were in aggressive mood in sharing an unbroken third-wicket partnership of 147 to seal a home win. The pair hit five sixes each, Murray 88 off 67 balls and Junaid 79 off 47. Advertisement Champions Blackrod (75 points) secured their sixth win, by 18 runs at Eagley, who were bowled out for 161 in reply to 179-5. Thushendra De Zoysa top-scored for Blackrod with 59 before Bajan OA Renaldo Holder took the new ball and struck five times. Kearsley also won for the sixth time, this one by 55 runs at home to Salesbury, who were bowled out for 100 in reply to the home side's 155 all out. Indian pro Ajay Rohera opened and top-scored with 47 before new-ball duo Irfan Kareem and Mustafa Bashir shared nine wickets to leave Salesbury well short. Kareem claimed five of those. In mid-table, Padiham are fifth, Kearsley sixth - both on 70 points - and Tonge seventh, just a point behind. Advertisement Tonge's fifth win was achieved by nine wickets at home to Atherton, successfully replying to the visitors' 127 all out thanks to an unbeaten 71 from South African OA Justin Gilliland. He shared a first-wicket 127 with Alex Rodzoch (49). Earlier, Tonge captain Connor Lord and Hasib Patel struck four times apiece with the ball. Barnoldswick are into the top four in the Championship thanks to their sixth win in nine, by four wickets chasing 149 at Brinscall. Wasique Ali stood out with five wickets in bowling Brinscall out for 148 before Australian pro Trent Riddell top-scored with 44 in a reply only briefly threatened at 5-1. Advertisement Baxenden have a won five, lost six record from their 11 games. They beat Astley Bridge at home by five wickets on Saturday in a strong reply to 207 all out. Matthew Austin took the new ball and returned four wickets for Baxenden, who were then indebted to Harris Masood's measured 60no from number four in reply. Pro Ben Gorton had also opened with 48.
Daily Mail
14-06-2025
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE On the trail of Jay Slater's 'missing mates': The five key witnesses who could hold the secrets to his death after inquest was halted... and where they are now
Jay Slater's distraught family have demanded that fellow British tourists who saw him during his final hours in Tenerife reveal what they know. The 19-year-old's body was found a month after he went missing down a ravine on a remote mountainside - and it was long hoped that an inquest would finally answer lingering questions about his death. But instead last month's long-awaited hearing into the apprentice bricklayer's death was dramatically halted after it emerged that key witnesses had not been found. The coroner told the court - including Jay's parents and other family members - that police had been unable to find the people who spent time with Jay in the hours before his death. Jay's despairing mother Debbie Duncan has said she needs answers from key witnesses. Now MailOnline has attempted to piece together where the missing witnesses might be. The missing key witnesses include Jay's friends from his hometown of Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire: best mate Lucy Law, 19, as well as Bradley Hargreaves and Brandon Hodgson, both 20. While the other two of the five missing witnesses met Jay for the first time in Tenerife - Ayub Qassim, 31, and Steven 'Rocky' Roccas, who drove him back to the remote AirBnb from which he died attempting to walk back. Dr James Adeley told the hearing: 'We can't find them, they have stopped responding to phone calls.' Among those he said police had tried and failed to find was Ms Law. However Ms Law's family insisted that she was simply on holiday - on the very island where Jay had died - and was unaware that they wanted her to give evidence. Speaking at the family home in Burnley, Lucy's stepfather Andy Davis said: 'We had no idea Jay's inquest was even being held. 'The police have only just been round today to say that she was due to give evidence. But it's the first time we knew of it. 'They asked if Lucy was home and I said she was abroad and they asked me if I was aware that she should have been in court, and I said I wasn't. 'The police said they had sent Lucy paperwork with the dates on it, but the first I knew about it was when the police turned up earlier today.' The sense of farce deepened this week when MailOnline revealed that celebrity investigator Mark Williams-Thomas had managed to reach both Lucy and Ayub Qassim by telephone to interview them for his podcast. Sources within the Slater family have said they too were aware where other supposedly missing witnesses were and how to contact them - and had been able to find out easily. The family source said: 'Lucy was in Tenerife. Another supposedly untraceable witness was on holiday in Greece. If we can find this out so quickly why can't the police?' The inquest at Preston Coroner's Court also heard a suggestion that witnesses may have been reluctant to appear because drugs may have been involved - as Jay was found to have traces of cocaine, ecstasy and ketamine in his body when found dead. Dr Adeley said: 'When drugs are involved in a death, the witnesses are less than forthcoming and do not wish to speak to the authorities.' A pathologist said Jay suffered severe skull and pelvis fractures consistent with falling from height. Police analysis of his iPhone found no evidence that he was 'frightened' or 'under any threat' when he travelled from the all-night rave he had attended with friends to a remote village. But mystery remains over why he set out on the fateful ten-mile walk back to the apartment where he was staying, with recreational drugs in his system and a tiny amount of charge on his phone. The five missing Britons all hold the key to finally determining what happened to Jay, his family believe. Frustrated by the Lancashire coroner's office failing to find them, Jay's mum Debbie said after the inquest: 'It's just been a really emotional day and we just want answers. 'The only people who can help are Ayub, Lucy and this Rocky guy who was there with Jay but none of them can be found.' Debbie added: 'We know Lucy is in Tenerife but that's about it. 'She goes there a lot, someone from her family has a flat there. 'It would help if she did get in touch. We just want answers. 'As for the other two we know nothing about them or where they are. 'If anyone can help please get in touch.' This is the quintet who failed to attend Jay's inquest – and how they could shed key light on the remaining unanswered questions when the hearing resumes at a date to be fixed: LUCY LAW Jay Slater had been on holiday in Tenerife with Lancashire friends Lucy Law, now 19, and Bradley Hargreaves. Ms Law - who later attended Mr Slater's funeral in August - received a call at 8.30am where Jay said he was lost, had 1 per cent charge on his phone and needed water. After the friends became separated on the last night of the NRG festival, Jay's inquest heard there were 'repeated efforts' by Ms Law – referred to on his phone as Lucy Mae – to contact him. She messaged him saying he was 'off your head' and to go back to their apartment. At 8.35am Ms Law sent him a message telling him to 'get back to wherever the f*** you just came from'. Ms Law spoke to reporters from the island as efforts to launch a search got underway. After the tragic discovery of his body she posted a heartbreaking Instagram tribute, writing: 'Always the happiest and most smiley person in the room, you was one of a kind Jay and you'll be missed more than you know. 'I'm sure you'll 'have your dancing shoes polished and ready' waiting for us all. 'We all love you buddy. Fly high.' The inquest was told that while a witness summons was issued for Ms Law, it was not served as she is currently in Tenerife. But afterwards Ms Law's family told MailOnline that she was simply on holiday and was unaware that they wanted her to give evidence. Speaking at the family home in Burnley, stepfather Andy Davis said: 'We had no idea Jay's inquest was even being held today. 'The police have only just been round today to say that she was due to give evidence. But it's the first time we knew of it. 'They asked if Lucy was home and I said she was abroad and they asked me if I was aware that she should have been in court, and I said I wasn't. 'The police said they had sent Lucy paperwork with the dates on it, but the first I knew about it was when the police turned up earlier today.' Jay's family were aware she was in Tenerife, with a source saying: 'If we can find this out so quickly why can't the police?' BRADLEY HARGREAVES Another of the teenager's friends from East Lancashire, Bradley Hargreaves was swapping messages with Jay as he attempted to walk from the remote village of Masca back to their apartment. At 6.09am on the morning of June 17, the inquest heard Jay sent his friend – also known as Bradley Geoghegan - his location as being in the village. That was followed by a seven second video an hour later showing a mountainous scene. Later that morning Josh Forshaw – the only friend who gave evidence yesterday - overheard a Facetime call between Jay and Mr Hargreaves after going to their apartment. 'He was slurring his words but he wasn't begging for help or anything,' he told the court. 'He didn't sound like he was in danger.' Mr Forshaw said Mr Hargreaves urged Jay to get a taxi back to where they were staying, but the teenager said he had no money. Jay didn't sound 'distressed or angry', he added. Speaking about the video call – believed to be one of the last times anyone spoke to Jay – Mr Hargreaves later told ITV's This Morning that his friend was walking along a gravel path. Speaking of the events that night, he said: 'What's happened is that we have split up, but he has been with people that he already knew. 'He's ended up back with them and I don't know how or what has gone on there but he's gone off and rang me halfway to their house saying I'm staying here and I'll be back the next day. 'He's rang me walking down the mountain and he just says he's walking home. 'At the time I didn't think anything of it I just thought he was going to get a bus home or a taxi home because that's what he says he is going to do.' Mr Hargreaves stayed on in Tenerife assisting the search for Jay along with his mother Rachel. After the tragic discovery of his body he posted an online tribute reading: 'Nothing be the same without you. Rest easy brother. Love you always.' The inquest heard that Mr Hargreaves – now aged 20 - had informed the coroner's office that he would be abroad this week on a holiday booked last October. BRANDON HODGSON Brandon 'Hodgey' Hodgson, 20, was pictured at a pool party at a resort on the Spanish holiday island during the second day of the NRG festival on June 15 last year - just two days before Jay vanished. Dressed in a distinctive orange T-shirt and with a bag across his chest, Mr Hodgson had his arm around the apprentice bricklayer's shoulders. The photograph also features Lucy Law, who also heard from Jay as he attempted to walk back to the resort where they were staying from the remote AirBnb. Like Jay's other friends, he was sending him messages expressing concern over his whereabouts after they became separated at the rave. At around 2.40am on June 17 a message was sent by 'Hodgey' reading: 'You need to get home.' Jay replied: 'You think I'm going home you must be disabled.' As the search intensified, Mr Hodgson's mother told Mail Online he was being subjected to a 'hate campaign'. At the family home in Brierfield, Lancashire last July, Natalie Hodgson said: 'He's liaising with the police, and that's all that matters.' The inquest was told that officers from Lancashire Police attended his address in the run-up to the hearing with a witness summons but there was no answer. It later emerged that like Jay's other friends Mr Hodgson is currently out of the country on holiday. AYUB QASSIM Ayub Qassim, 31, invited Jay back to his rented Airbnb in the mountainous Masca region after the teen had been partying at the final night of the NRG festival at Papagayo, in Playa de las Americas, around 20 miles away. The convicted drug dealer – nicknamed 'Johnny Vegas' - was one of the last people to see Jay alive after driving him back at around 5am with another friend, Steven Roccas, known as 'Rocky', on June 17 last year. The inquest heard that the Metropolitan Police attempted to serve a witness summons on Mr Qassim at his last known address. However officers were informed that he hadn't been living there for more than a year. Mr Qassim, from Barking, east London, was jailed nine years ago for being the mastermind behind a sophisticated operation to flood Wales with Class A drugs. He exchanged several WhatsApp messages with MailOnline in the weeks after Jay's death after we exclusively found him but since then has gone quiet. At the time he said 'The amount of hate I'm getting for something I haven't even done,' adding that he was a 'innocent man'. In later messages he claimed he had been receiving death threats and said:' I can hold my own but I can't fight a bullet'. Spanish detectives questioned both him and Mr Roccas at the time of Jay's disappearance but let them go after deeming them 'irrelevant' to what was then a missing person case. Speaking later on social media after Jay's body had been found Mr Qassim insisted he had no involvement in his death, saying: 'If I'm guilty then arrest me then, what are you on about? 'When you're telling the truth you don't slip up.' Asked about taking Jay back to the Airbnb, Mr Qassim said: 'No one took no-one bro. He invited himself.' Questioned by a follower 'Did you punch him' he replied: 'No, of course not. 'He had a tragic accident, you know what it's like.' During the journey to Masca, Jay sent Snapchat messages to friends saying he had stolen a high-end watch and planned to sell it for £10,000. Asked about the messages in his online chat last July, Mr Qassim said: 'No one took my watch, bro. 'Why the f*** would I invite someone who took my watch back to mine so they can sleep on the sofa, what are you on about?' In a podcast interview earlier this year Mr Qassim said he had given Jay a phone charger, a blanket, a towel and some cigarettes before he went upstairs to bed. But he said when a local awoke him shortly before 8am asking him to move his car which was blocking the road, Jay told him: 'Bro I'm going to get off.' STEVEN 'ROCKY' ROCCAS Previously known only as 'Rocky', Steven Roccas' identity was revealed for the first time at yesterday's inquest. He was renting the remote AirBnb with convicted drug dealer Mr Qassim and accompanied him on the drive back to the village with Jay who had become separated from his friends at the all-night NRG festival in Playa de las Americas. As with Mr Qassim, officers from the Metropolitan Police attempted to serve a witness summons on him in London but were told he was unknown at the address they had. Checks were made with a court at which Mr Roccas had recently appeared over an unrelated matter, and discovered he had given an address on the other side of the capital with the same street name. However officers were told that Mr Roccas had not lived there for some time. Finally the coroner's team linked business premises with Mr Roccas using an email address he had given Spanish police. But when police attended, it was shuttered and they were told it had been closed for about three years. Like Mr Qassim, he was allowed to leave the island after Spanish police ruled him out of the missing person inquiry. Mr Roccas has not spoken publicly about his involvement with Jay during his final hours, although he appeared in a social media video with Mr Qassim after his body was found. In a later podcast interview, Mr Qassim said he, Mr Roccas and Jay went for a kebab on the strip before driving back to the Airbnb where they arrived at around 6.30am-6.45am. He shared a video showing himself and Jay laughing at how Mr Roccas was slumped and asleep in the front passenger seat. 'I ended up waking him up saying 'We're back now',' he said.
Daily Mail
12-06-2025
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Jay Slater's friend Lucy Law reveals what he told her on night he disappeared as bombshell new claims emerge over British teen's Tenerife death
Jay Slater armed himself with two knives before fleeing an AirBnB ] after stealing a bag of ketamine and fearing repercussions, according to extraordinary new accounts of the night he disappeared. The claims - including the first full witness statement from the last person to see the 19 year old alive – were uncovered in a painstaking investigation over many months by celebrity detective Mark Williams-Thomas. Jay sparked a global media storm when he vanished in Tenerife last June only to be found dead a month later with severe head injuries at the bottom of a remote ravine on the Spanish party island. Investigator Williams-Thomas reveals his fresh findings in a two-part podcast on the case which is set to be released later this week - and reported for the first time here. He found that those who were around him that night spoke of Slater having taken a cocktail of drugs that left him 'on a mission' which saw him first steal drugs and then arm himself. Extraordinarily the TV investigator has managed to track down two key witnesses in the case - just a month after the coroner officially appointed to investigate Jay's death expressed exasperation that the police had been unable to find the same pair. Those witnesses include Ayub Qassim - the man who the apprentice bricklayer from Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire accompanied back to an AirBnB after staying up all night on drugs following a music festival. Convicted drug dealer Qassim, 31, is understood to be was the last person to see the apprentice bricklayer before he vanished in mountains high above the village of Masca and had been due to give evidence at his inquest last month but the coroner said he could not be traced. In the two part podcast called Jay Slater The Investigation, Williams-Thomas underlines how Qassim served a nine-year jail term after being convicted in 2015, following the smashing of a plot to flood the streets of Cardiff with Class A drugs. Speaking to Williams-Thomas, Qassim describes how he had picked up Lucy Law and two friends Bradley Hargreaves and Brandon Hodgson, and they went to look for Jay after she had contacted him on social media. In the podcast, Williams Thomas says:' What Qassim said next was really significant and I believe provides real context to a very number of important aspects of this case.' Qassim tells him:' They were just doing my head in, one said. 'That's the two bottles of Henny [Hennessy cognac], they were just doing my head in. 'In the end I just turned to Brandon and said:' Look Brandon, one of your mates, yesterday walked way because he's F**** off with the ket [ketamine] and he want missing. Tell this fucking idiot to get back in the car.' Williams-Thomas says:' So, let's just re hear that again,' before playing the clip once more, and then adding:' I believe this is really significant new information. 'When Qassim said ket, he was referring to ketamine and my information is that this drug was readily available and that Jay had definitely been using it. 'I have further information about the supply of ketamine into the country, in the UK ketamine is a class B drug carrying a maximum of five years sentence for possession and 14 years for supply.' Williams-Thomas adds:' So, Qassim says in the recording that Jay left the rental on the morning and took with him Qassim's ketamine. 'If you wonder why we've not heard this before, his police statement of course made no mention of this. 'My intelligence, however, is that the rental location was specifically chosen so as not to being attention to nay illegal activity.' Also speaking for the first time since last July is a woman Jay had been holidaying with, that friend Lucy Law who also didn't attend last month's inquest - only for her parents to later tell MailOnline the first they knew of a requirement to attend was when police had arrived at their house asking for her on the day on the inquest. She describes how Jay told her he was 'on a mission', couldn't 'go back to the rental [where she and he were staying]' and he had 'taken two kitchen knives down his pants in case anything kicks off.' Williams-Thomas goes on to say he has shared the information with Jay's mother Debbie, who he describes is 'heartbroken' and adds:' It is always so hard for a parent to hear things that are uncomfortable and perhaps show a loved one in a bad light.' Last month at Preston Coroner's Court, an inquest was opened into Jay's death, but it was halted after key witnesses including Lucy Law and Qassim were not present and it has now been adjourned to a later date. In his podcast Williams- Thomas adds: 'Debbie has not wanted me to release the information from Qassim that says Jay took his ketamine when he left the rental because she says it will bring further shame on the family. 'I don't believe this is the case, I believe as an investigator it is vital that all credible information should be considered and investigated, and I have shared this information with the Spanish police, I know it doesn't form part of the inquest, and I believe it should. 'Hence why I have taken the decision to release it ahead of the inquest so it can be properly investigated. 'So, if Jay did take Qassim's ketamine this would explain why he put two knives in his waist band for his own protection and why very significantly he said to Lucy he couldn't go back there. 'This evidence gives rise to a reasonable belief that Jay was scared or worried and that's why he had the knives in his waistband and also if he left with Qassim's ketamine why he left suddenly and couldn't go back.' Jay, from Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire, was on Tenerife for the NRG music festival on June 17 and his disappearance sparked a huge month-long manhunt, one of the biggest ever on the island and his body was eventually found at the foot of an isolated gorge. Qassim and his friend Steven Roccas, who was also staying at the AirBnB, did not attend the inquest but Qassim since said on social media he would turn up for the next hearing. Jay is thought to have died after deciding to walk home and then got disoriented as he tried to take a short court from Masca back to his hotel at Playa de las Americas through a treacherous gorge. Williams-Thomas concluded the podcast by saying:' Jay was heavily under the influence of drink and drugs, and in his own words 'on a mission' met up with a convicted drugs dealer who from the evidence I have seen remains heavily involved in the supply scene. 'Having done a thorough investigation and spoken to witnesses the conclusion is that Jay's death is a tragic accident with no third party involvement.' Qassim was not immediately available for comment but on his social media he appeared to have a dig at Williams-Thomas. Posting a picture of himself he wrote:' All I see and hear for the last nine months, all woof woof. 'It's getting more than silly now me personally not there's a family involved here [delet e- u profiting from their grief and 90% of you doing it are adults. Embarrassing. Lol. 'The people that watch and give it anytime you're just as xxxxxxxx bad. Lol.' He signed off by saying:' Don't forget to subscribe to MWT patreon,' adding a cash and laughing emoji, patreon is a money-making platform for digital content creators where people can subscribe. He and his pal Roccas appeared to be on holiday in Ibiza as an image on the latter's social media showed a beach and pool captioned "Ibiza" and there was also a video of Qassim dancing in a restaurant. Jay's inquest heard how traces of cocaine, ecstasy, and ketamine had been found in his body during a postmortem, and he had been 'off his head on drugs'. He was apparently trying to walk back from Masca to Playa de las Americas when he died - a journey that would have taken 10 hours under a hot sun and with no water. Before he left the AirBnB he sent a picture of himself via Snapchat to Lucy which showed him on the doorstep holding a cigarette and he tagged the location. He then made two final phone calls - one to Lucy where he said he was lost and his phone was running out of charge and one to Bradley, describing how he was walking cross rough stony ground. The inquest also heard from another friend called Joshua Forshaw who said he had met Jay while flying to Tenerife and that he had received a message from him the morning he disappeared, saying he has stolen a watch and was trying to sell it for £10,000. The text read:'Yes cuz ended up getting thrown out of there me with 2 Mali kids just took an AP off some xxxx on way to sell it for 10 quid.' Jay's disappearance sparked a storm of attention on social media with TikTok sharing dozens of outlandish and distressing theories which were slammed by his mother. The inquest is due to resume at a later date.
The Sun
08-06-2025
- The Sun
Brazen owner of Bully which mauled boy, 5, blames child and insists ‘he's harmless…I still let him play with my toddler'
A DAD whose dog 'savaged' a five-year-old boy says it was a "genuine mistake" and claims the child was actually in the wrong - sparking a furious response from his mum. Aaron Eccles' Pocket Bully attacked Antonio Quinn - four at the time - after he unexpectedly came into the house and startled the pet, resulting in injuries to his face and legs. 11 11 The little boy subsequently needed a three-hour operation to stitch his wounds - while police seized the Bully, as well as a Staffordshire Bull Terrier, owned by Aaron's partner, at the scene. Aaron told The Sun: 'It's a genuine mistake and the parents aren't accepting the fact that their child's in the wrong for coming into the house." And says he'd still be happy for the dog to play with his own six-month-old baby son. However, Antonio's flabbergasted mum Amanda Holmes has hit back at the owner's claims, saying her son is "very lucky to be alive" and was certainly not to blame. She said "trying to justify" the dog's behaviour is "sickening". Aaron, who described arriving home on May 26 to see '20 armed officers' outside, believes the incident does not necessarily make his pet Harry - initially reported to be an XL Bully - 'dangerous'. Antonio had followed Aaron's six-year-old stepson into the house in Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire, after they'd been playing outside - with only his older sister, age 12, upstairs. Staffy Bella, who was in season, was in a cage to keep her separate from Harry. Aaron, 34, told The Sun: 'I came back and there's 20 armed police terrorising my dogs, pepper spraying them and winding them up. 'They told me my dog's savaged somebody, a four year old boy.' Mum screamed 'my baby's dead' as girl, 10, killed by XL Bully weeks after excitedly telling friends about her 'new pet' He added: 'He got reported as an XL Bully but it wasn't. He's a Pocket Bully.' Pocket Bully dogs are not part of the XL Bully ban. It's a criminal offence to own or possess an XL Bully dog in England and Wales unless you have a valid Certificate of Exemption. Pocket Bullies are a much smaller, though similar breed. Aaron does not believe there would have been the same police response if they'd known initially Harry was a much smaller dog. And argues, due to most dogs' sense of territory and reaction to an 'intruder', any breed could have reacted in a similar manner. 'The dog's never met the little boy before so he's thought he's an intruder and he's nipped him to warn him to get out,' he said. 'He's not ragged him or savaged him or anything. He has bitten him but it's a warning bite. 'He hasn't grabbed hold of him and shook him about - nothing like how it's been portrayed.' 11 11 Describing Antonio's injuries, Aaron said: 'The marks on his legs are from his (the dog's) paws when he jumped up at him and also where he's caught his neck.' The dad explained that his partner Nikki Morris, 35, had told her son not to go into the house while she went to collect Aaron from the gym, but in the space of 10 minutes from her leaving the incident happened. He said: 'It's a genuine mistake and the parents aren't accepting the fact that their child's in the wrong for coming into the house. 'The worst has happened and now it's my family and dogs that are suffering.' Aaron previously spent time homeless, with two-year-old Harry as his only companion, and said he's extremely loyal to him, but 'like a teddy bear' usually. 'He's never lashed out before,' he explained. 'He was just protecting his home - what he's loyal to. They don't differentiate between an adult and a child when they think it's a burglar. But he certainly hasn't mauled him.' He continued: 'I've got an almost six month old baby, the Pocket Bully lies and sleeps next to him. 'I've got videos and pictures of him lying next to him licking him to death. 'I wouldn't have an aggressive dog next to my baby or my stepson.' 11 11 11 He said he has since had a call from a police officer asking if he would like both dogs euthanised, but told them no. Aaron understands there will now be an assessment process to understand if the dogs are too dangerous to be allowed home, and he could face charges - but hasn't yet been arrested. 'The police aren't responding to me, it's like they don't care,' Aaron continued. 'I'm not 100 percent what's going to happen with the dogs.' He said Staffy Bella had only escaped her cage when police arrived and antagonised Harry. Describing the scene when he arrived home, he said: 'All armed police…they were just pepper spraying them through the door, through the back door and banging on the windows, getting them all aggressive while the other armed response officers were coming through the front door, spraying loads of pepper spray on them. 'It was sickening to watch. You don't do that to someone's pet. They're telling me they're aggressive, and I'm saying if you spray me with pepper spray and wind me up I'll be aggressive as well.' Aaron and Nikki have bought Antonio a present but said they are letting the dust settle a little more before they try to speak to his family. 'We felt bad, but the fact of the matter is they need to accept their little boy was in the wrong, entering the house and they just won't accept that,' Aaron said. 'We're trying to fix things and it's just getting blown out of proportion. It was a tragic accident, there's no point torturing both dogs when one wasn't doing anything and the other isn't aggressive, he was just doing his job. 'He was just protecting his home.' Asked if one of the dogs attacked any of his children he might feel differently, Aaron said: 'If I thought the dogs were capable of doing that [a much worse attack] to the children then I wouldn't think twice, I wouldn't be keeping them. 'I know 100 percent those dogs wouldn't do anything to my kids.' He added: 'My stepson winds them up no end and they still don't do anything to him. They lick him. 'This is why I'm going so ballistic because I know my dogs are not dangerous.' EXPERT COMMENT: 'The law must tread carefully with dog attacks involving children' Rhianna Tsiattalou, Solicitor at criminal defence & civil litigation practice Stokoe Partnership Solicitors, told The Sun: 'Cases involving dangerous dogs - particularly where children are harmed are profoundly tragic, and the law must tread a careful line between protecting the public and ensuring fairness in the application of justice. "This case falls within the remit of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991, which makes it a criminal offence to own or be in charge of a dog that is 'dangerously out of control' in any place. This includes private property. "Where such an incident results in serious injury, harsh penalties can be imposed, including jail time. If a child is involved, courts treat the matter with particular gravity. "S3 (1A) and (1B) of the Dangerous Dogs Act provides an exemption from prosecution for householders in instances where their dog has been dangerously out of control with respect to trespassers in their home. "However, this does not apply to dog attacks on trespassers in gardens, driveways or outbuildings. "The Anti-social Behaviour, Crime & Policing Bill, Fact Sheet: Dangerous Dogs (part 7) makes clear that this is intended to differentiate between innocently intentioned trespassers or trespassers in or entering a dwelling that are more likely to have a malign intent. "Often, individuals unaware of legal responsibilities around dog ownership face the full weight of prosecution only after tragedy occurs. "Proactive education and tighter regulation around breeding, containment, and training are therefore essential. "As lawyers, we frequently see cases where non-dangerous breeds become involved in catastrophic events, often due to a momentary lapse in containment or unpredictable behaviour. "In these instances, it is important for cases to be dealt with promptly and without excess delay due to the undesirability of keeping dogs kennelled for long periods of time (as expressed in the Home Office Guidance Circular 29/1998). "Dogs that are seized should be assessed immediately to ascertain whether they truly are a danger to the public.' Antonio's mum Amanda told The Sun: "My son was playing with their son and he went to the door while their son got a drink. "The dog ran out and attacked my son. Aaron and Nikki, the parents, weren't even in the house. They was out so maybe if they was in it could of been prevented. "That dog could have gone for anyone passing by... I'm sick of hearing hearsay." She added: "My lad's a very lucky boy." Amanda called for Aaron to release footage from his home CCTV to show what happened, but Aaron said his cameras were not recording at the time. Asked how Antonio is doing, she said: "He's doing really well - he's not been to school though and it's his birthday today (Friday)." She said doctors have warned the boy's scars will be permanent, but his mum added: "Obviously, they will fade with age and I'm going to be getting him some good oil." 'It was the worst thing ever' Amanda previously said her son had managed to run home, but was left covered in blood following the attack. He was later taken to Royal Manchester Children's Hospital where he underwent surgery. He suffered injuries to his cheeks, underneath his chin and his right thigh. Amanda, 34, said: "It was the worst thing ever, it was horrible. It was so scary. "I couldn't believe my son's face was like that, it was like something out of a horror film." The mum-of-three went on to say: "I heard a scream - you know your child's cry. "Antonio was then at the front door, he had blood all over his face and his cheeks were hanging off his face. "I was screaming, asking what's happened and then I rang the ambulance. "Luckily, the dog didn't remove any skin - they just ripped it. "They've managed to put it all back together, they've done a really good job with him." Despite Antonio's injuries, he seems to be doing well, she'd added. She said: "I thought that bringing him home from the hospital, when we've got a dog, might be an obstacle for him but he's been absolutely fine. "The dog knows that he's been injured so she hasn't left his side. "Antonio is doing okay, you can tell that he's shocked by it. "He's still in a lot of pain but he's doing well." In a Facebook post last week, Amanda said: "My son is 4 years old, he plays with my neighbour's son. "...went in the house for some juice and there dog pounced on my son and attacked him he's lucky to still be comments that are being made on the groups trying to justify the dog are sickening. "If them dogs were brought up right they should never of seen a 4 year old boy as a threat!" A Lancashire Police spokesperson said: "We're appealing for information and footage after a child suffered a dog bite in Oswaldtwistle. "We were called at shortly after 1.30pm on Monday 26th May following reports that a child had been bitten by a dog on Thwaites Road, Oswaldtwistle. "The child, a four-year-old boy, was taken to hospital with injuries to his leg and face. "Thankfully, those injuries are not life threatening. "Two dogs have been seized by police - a Staffordshire Bull Terrier type and a Pocket Bully Type and the dog owner has been identified and will be spoken to in due course." Which dog breeds are banned in the UK? THERE are specific regulations in place that prohibit certain dog breeds from being owned or bred in the UK. So what are the illegal dogs in the UK? Which dog breeds are illegal in the UK? People tend to think of large, vicious dogs when they imagine being bitten by one. But the truth is that many types of dogs are known to bite humans, whether provoked or not. However, it's important to remember that just because a breed tends to bite humans, that doesn't mean that they all do. British law determines five breeds of dog are illegal to own, breed, sell or give away. These are an XL Bully, Pit Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino and Fila Brasileiro. 11
Yahoo
07-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Personal bests galore for Harriers youngsters in Blackpool
The second event of the Run the Moors Grand Prix - the Stanhill Fell Race - took place near Oswaldtwistle last week and Horwich Harriers had good representation. The five-mile out-and-back route was a fast and furious affair, with a paltry (by fell racing standards) 820 feet of elevation and the usually boggy moorland dry and bouncy after a record-breaking dry spring. Advertisement The start line was a sea of red vests with 16 Horwich RMI Harriers amassed - and they delivered quality as well as quantity. Sam Fairhurst (second, 30mins 1sec), Nick Leigh (fourth overall and first MV45, 31:34) and Matt Fawthrop (fifth, 32:02) ensured a dominant men's team victory. Alistair Murray had a great run to finish 10th and first MV50, while he, Rob Seddon (33:47) and Nick Kelly (second MV55, 35:36) also took third place in the men's team prize. Gary Chadderton was first MV60 (39:05) and Doug Fleming first V65 (39:54), while the women also posted some fantastic results and times. Charlotte Wilkinson was third Junior (37:42), Alison Mort was second FV45 (43:13) and Katherine Newall second FV50 (45:25). They combined to take third in the female team prize. On the same night, it was the first of the Harrock Hill Race series where Adrian Bramham got his hands on a unique box of veg prize for a commanding victory in the MV60 category. His time of 39:11 on the tough 5.2-mile course was a minute faster than the next V60. The latest Youth Development League Lower athletics meet was held on Sunday at Blackpool. There were many first places, with under-13 Theo Bolton winning the 75m in 10.8 (a personal best) and Jack Fletcher winning the 80m Hurdles in 13.2. The girls performed well with debutant Isla Smith (75m, 10.9 and 150m, 22.5), Florence Simm (75m, 11.8 and long jump, 3.29m) and Lily Mort (100m, 13.8 and 200m, 28.4) each achieving a brace of PBs. Grace Freary ran a superb 5:25.8, demolishing the field in her 1500m before going on to help the 4x300m girls win the relay. Advertisement Erinn Walker recorded a huge PB in the high jump, upping her highest jump from 1.05m to 1.25m, only narrowly missing a clearance at 1.30m. Walker recorded another PB in her 150m race (24.2) and won her 70m hurdles race in 14.5. Collectively, the RMI amassed a spectacular 28 PBs. Among those not already mentioned were Toby MacDonald (75m, 12.6 and 800m, 3:11.7), Ben Essex-Crosby (75m, 12.1, 800m, 3:11.7 and long jump 3.53m), Alfie Fletcher (75m, 13.0 and 800m, 3:19.1), Bobby Charnock (javelin 12.13m), Toby MacDonald (javelin, 8.15m), Emily Hellewell (100m, 14.8), Grace Hoyte (100m, 14.7), Kitty Crossland (800m, 2:29.9 and shot, 4.35), Emily Hellewell (800m, 2:46.9), Abi Ajet (shot, 7.97), Flynn Harris (shot, 6.80), Ben Higgins (1500m, 5:20.5), Matthew MacDonald (100m, 14.5 and 1500m, 5:49.4). This ensured Horwich finished the day as second-place squad, just 21 points behind the winners after a superb team effort.
