Baby Boy Dies Of 'Catastrophic Injuries'

7 January 2019, 13:08 | Updated: 7 January 2019, 13:24

Yaxley

A baby boy who was attacked at his home in Yaxley by his parents' Staffordshire bull terrier, died in hospital of 'catastrophic injuries'.

That's what an inquest heard. 

David Heming, Cambridgeshire's senior coroner, said Reuben "suffered catastrophic injuries ... as a result of being attacked by his parents' Staffordshire bull terrier at their home address".
 
He said Reuben sustained a traumatic brain injury, with complications of renal failure and gastrointestinal failure.
 
"All these injuries are consistent with a dog attack," he said.
 
He added: "The events surrounding the tragic death of Reuben are clearly devastating for his parents and I would like to express my condolences and extend my sympathies towards them."
 
He opened the hearing in Huntingdon on Monday and adjourned it for a full inquest on May 16th this year.
 
Paramedics were called to the family home in Wykes Road, Yaxley, and Reuben was taken to Peterborough City Hospital with severe head injuries and later transferred to Addenbrooke's.
 
His parents, Daniel McNulty and Amy Litchfield, are believed to have been questioned by police and released pending further inquiries.
 
Police said in a statement in December that two Staffordshire bull terriers had been destroyed.
 
It added: "A 28 year old woman and a 31 year old man, both from Yaxley, who were arrested on suspicion of child neglect, have been released under investigation.
 
"The death is not being treated as suspicious and has been handed to the coroner."