Woman tells of ‘horrific’ moment dog attacked boy in Aycliffe

The youngster was reportedly “pinned down” by a Japanese Akita while it was tied up outside a home on Guthrum Place just after 6pm on Sunday, June 21.

He was taken to hospital for treatment after suffering facial injuries but is understood to have since returned home.

A nearby resident, who asked not to be named, described the attack as “horrific”.

She said: “It happened in the car park near their house. I feel so sorry for the little lad, he must have been terrified.

“It pinned him to the floor. His face was an absolute mess afterwards. He’s had to have surgery on it, and it is still so swollen from it all. The whole thing is just horrific.”

Durham Police has confirmed the dog has since been seized while enquiries continue into the circumstances of the attack.

A spokesperson from the force previously said: “We were called to reports of an eight-year-old boy being bitten by a dog after stopping to pet it outside an address in Guthrum Place, Newton Aycliffe, just after 6pm on Sunday, June 21.

“The boy suffered an injury to his cheek and was taken to hospital where he remains.

“An investigation is ongoing.”

The incident is one of four dog attacks reported in the town in recent days.

Officers said they had also received a report of an elderly owner letting go of her two Labradors on a walk after they became “uncontrollable”, with the dogs biting a woman on the arm.

In a separate incident, a woman was bitten on the arm by a friend’s cross-breed Bulldog while visiting her home.

A fourth report involved a cyclist being bitten on the back of the leg after an Alsatian was allowed to roam off lead while being walked.

Police said the victims in the three other incidents suffered minor injuries and investigations remain ongoing.