A newborn baby boy was savaged to expiry by a family domestic dog afterward his mum fell comatose on the sofa and his dad went outside for a cigarette.

Reuben McNulty was just 14 days old when his parents' pet Staffordshire Bull Terrier bit his caput up to 23 times, resulting in his decease three weeks later.

Parents Amy Litchfield and Dan McNulty had been previously warned by social workers not to leave Reuben unsupervised and alone with their two Staffies.

But Amy, 31, was in a deep slumber side by side to Reuben, who also slept in a teddy acquit bed on the sofa, and Dan had gone outside for a cigarette when the tot was savaged by one of the dogs at the family unit home in Yaxley, Cambs.

An inquest today heard that neither Reuben nor the dogs were being directly supervised at the time of the attack just before 2am on November eighteen, 2018.

The infant sustained critical brain and spinal injuries and died three weeks after the attack (

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Tiny Reuben was mauled by one of the dogs (

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Neither of the child'south parents attended the hearing today.

The coroner heard that Dan returned inside to discover Reuben and the white dog - chosen Dottie and anile effectually 6 - covered in blood, while Amy was still asleep.

Dan immediately called 999, telling the operator: "I think the f****** dog's attacked him. My partner was asleep, I merely heard crying.

"He's just haemorrhage, you know? I was similar what the f***?"

Social services had warned a family whose newborn infant died after a dog attack that the Staffordshire Bull Terrier should not be left lonely with the child (

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When paramedics arrived, Daniel and Amy refused to hold Reuben, the inquest heard.

The baby was airlifted to Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge where he was found to have suffered astringent brain, spinal and skull injuries.

Reuben died at the same hospital on December thirteen - 3 days after life support was removed.

Simon Newbury, a veterinary forensics practiced, said that the dog may have bitten Reuben up to 23 times in the caput while shaking him around.

When paramedics arrived Reuben's mum and dad refused to hold the baby (

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Mr Newbury told the inquest at Peterborough Town Hall: "Information technology's possible that Dottie saw Reuben as a minor prey or a squeaky toy.

"It's possible that Dottie was stimulated into a predatory bulldoze by crying or a motility [by Reuben].

"There appears to take been no supervision of the dogs. Amy was in a deep slumber, Daniel was downstairs smoking."

Dan and Amy were both arrested by police on suspicion of child fail after the incident but prosecutors decided not to charge them in Dec 2020.

Prosecutors chose not to accuse mum Amy Litchfield and dad Dan McNulty (

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A child protection plan was issued by social services before Reuben's nascency stating that he should never exist left alone with Dottie and the other canis familiaris, a nine-yr-quondam Staffy called Buzz.

Amy had owned the dogs since their birth and there were no by reports of violence or aggression from them.

Both dogs were seized past police and put downward after the incident.

Coroner Simon Milburn concluded the inquest: "[The kid protection programme] gives articulate indication and evidence that the parents were aware Reuben should non be left solitary with the dogs at any time, nor when the family unit were eating.

Mum Amy was in a deep sleep at the time of the attack (

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"Neither Reuben nor the dogs were being directly supervised during the time of the assail."

Mr Milburn added: "In the early hours the explanation was that the mother was asleep in the living room - she had taken sleep tablets.

"Reuben was asleep in the aforementioned room and the dogs were asleep or lying quietly in their bed in the same room.

"Dan said he went out for a cigarette and Amy recalled in her [constabulary] interview that Dan told her but unfortunately she fell dorsum asleep, and it was when Dan came back inside a short fourth dimension later he found Reuben seriously injured and one of the dogs, Dottie, covered in Reuben'south blood."

Mr Milburn described the incident as an "unintentional short menses of inattention which sadly had horrific and tragic consequences".

He noted that the dogs had been separated from Reuben on previous visits past social services and midwives, including on November 12 - six days earlier the incident.

Speaking after the inquest today, Reuben's nan Ruth Hinchey spoke of her relief at finding a conclusion to the family's ordeal.

Ruth, Amy's female parent, said: "We're just glad it's finished and we tin can properly move on."

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