Boy, 5, 'scalped' by Rottweiler in horror attack

By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 10:18 AM on 26th February 2010

A five-year-old boy has been left permanently scarred after he was 'scalped' by a Rottweiler.

Rhys Webb, who will never be able to grow hair on parts of his head, needed 87 stitches after the random attack.

But the owner of the dog called Rocky escaped prosecution because the animal wasn't in his care at the time.

Rhys was playing with his two brothers in a communal garden in Rainham, Essex, when the Rottweiler charged around a corner, sank his teeth into the boy's head and shook him from side to side.

His father Andrew Webb, 28, said: 'The dog made a beeline for Rhys, totally unprovoked.

'It sunk his teeth into his head, and Rhys tried to get up and run, but the dog got his head like a football.

'The skin had been dragged down from the back over the front.

'He was just ripping the skin back from his head. He was pretty much scalped. I ran down, launched myself at the dog and punched it until it let go.

'I had to stem the blood with towels. It was a horrible thing to see. If the dog had gone for one of the younger children they would have died.'

Yesterday the dog was ordered to be destroyed by Recorder Mary Spacey at Basildon Crown Court.

She said: 'One police officer described him as being "de-gloved", the dog had taken off the scalp from the boy's head from ear to ear in the attack.

'The dog is clearly dangerous. It simply refused to let go of that poor boy's skull and he was scalped.'

Rocky's owner Steven Spence had left him in the care of his friend Kevin Mills, 47, in December 2008. But he went out, leaving the dog with his drug-addict brother Graham, 45.

Graham Mills admitted being in charge of a dog which caused injury whilst dangerously out of control.

He received a six-month sentence, suspended for 18 months and was banned from keeping dogs for 10 years. He also was given a curfew, requiring him to be at home between 9pm and 6am, and a drug rehabilitation requirement.

Rhys's mother Cassie Daly, 25 said after the sentence: 'I am angry that the owner of the dog didn't get anything at all but at least the dog was destroyed.

'I was so relieved to tell Rhys the dog couldn't hurt him again. That was the main thing I wanted.

'I am grateful that somebody got done for it, though I am disappointed with the sentence and I'm disappointed Steven Spence couldn't be prosecuted or banned from keeping dogs because I blame the owner more than then animal.'

From: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1253896/Boy-5-scalped-Rottweiler-horrendous-unprovoked-attack.html