A coroner has said the full inquest into the death of a three-year-old killed in a dog attack in Rochdale depends on whether Greater Manchester Police and the RSPCA accept the recommendations of a 67-page safeguarding report.
Rochdale Safeguarding Board has issued the review into the case of Daniel Twigg, who died in a dog attack at a farm in Rochdale in May 2022. The full inquest is scheduled for December, but a pre-inquest review hearing was told today (August 18) that this could be pushed into next year if both agencies do not accept the report's recommendations.
Background of the case
A trial into his death heard that Daniel entered the same pen as a 48kg Cane Corso, one of eleven kept on the property, on May 15, sustaining unsurvivable injuries to his head and neck. The toddler was living at Carr Farm in the Milnrow area with his parents Mark Twigg and Joanne Bedford, who were renting the farm from a family friend, Matthew Brown, who was in custody. They had agreed to care for his eight or nine 'untrained guard dogs', including breeds such as a Cane Corso, American Bulldog and a Boerboel.
Twigg and Bedford were cleared of gross negligence manslaughter last October but found guilty of being in charge of a dangerous dog which caused serious injury while dangerously out of control. They were sentenced to 32 and 42 months' imprisonment respectively and banned from keeping dogs for 15 years.
Coroner's remarks
Senior Coroner Joanne Kearsley told the pre-inquest review hearing at Rochdale Coroners' Court that after criminal proceedings and a safeguarding review had been completed, she felt an inquest was still necessary to determine the possibility of the prevention of future deaths. The inquest, attended virtually by lawyers for GMP, the RSPCA and the Rochdale Safeguarding Board, is to look at the events of May 15 2022 as well as the family's contact with various agencies from January onwards that year.
Ms Kearsley said she would 'consider' making Rochdale Council an interested party after RSPCA solicitor Emily Jones suggested the local authority could have had insight into the family's living arrangements. Addressing Daniel's father Mark Twigg, who attended via videolink from prison, she said she would 'base her findings' on the outcome of the Crown Court trial and would 'probably make the finding of neglect'. Mr Twigg responded, "We were found not guilty of neglect," presumably referring to his acquittal of gross negligence manslaughter.
Ms Kearsley replied, "I accept that that might be difficult to hear. How Daniel died is not really in dispute. I do not need to hear a lot of evidence about the events of the day. It is accepted that he was at home, you were not, he was with his mum and siblings. There was a number of dogs living at the property that you were looking after for somebody else. Daniel got into the enclosure. That is all agreed."
Next steps
Ms Kearsley expressed disappointment that lawyers for GMP and the RSPCA had requested more time to look at the safeguarding review. "I want everything that covers any agency that knew the family were linked to the farm," she said. "Every paragraph that is to do with the dogs, any contact with GMP or the RSPCA and their awareness of the situation."
Counsel for GMP Lujzka Halsall-Fischel said GMP 'accepted' the safeguarding findings but 'needed time' to look at the findings of an IOPC report. Ms Kearsley said, "That came out some time ago. It is crucial that these are considered quickly as they will determine how long the inquest itself takes. If you accept the recommendations then they could be dealt with by an overview instead of multiple witnesses. Do I need to call eight witnesses or 20? It is scheduled on for a one-day hearing, but that depends on GMP’s position. They need to review this urgently."
The full inquest is currently scheduled for December 3, but if the agencies reject the findings and recommendations, Ms Kearsley said 'it might need to go into next year'. Two RSPCA officers and the Sergeant in Charge of the case are to give evidence, and Mr Twigg was told he may give a statement if he wished to. Ms Kearsley also requested a witness from GMP who could 'speak to' the force's approach towards dangerous dogs, saying dog safety was a 'matter of public interest'. Ms Halsall-Fischel said the IOPC had instructed a dangerous dogs officer from South Yorkshire Police to 'look at the response'. "I am more concerned about the removal of the dogs and whether that could have been undertaken," the coroner replied, giving the parties until September 14 to file their responses to the report.
