A five-year-old autistic boy was left needing surgery after being mauled by an aggressive dog in a park in Doncaster. The attack occurred on November 6 as the boy, Roman, was walking home from school with his mother, Joanne Goffey, 28.
According to Ms Goffey, the dog, believed to be a bull breed, was off-leash and not wearing a muzzle when it ran at Roman, knocked him to the ground, and latched onto his face. She managed to pull her son from under the dog, fearing his face might have been ripped off. Roman sustained injuries to his eye, ears, and cheeks, and required surgery.
Ms Goffey described the incident as the most terrifying experience of her life, saying she thought the dog was about to kill her child. She has called for dog owners to be more responsible by keeping dogs on leads in open areas, adding that the attack was entirely preventable.
South Yorkshire Police arrested a 29-year-old man on suspicion of owning a dog dangerously out of control. The dog was seized and remains in police kennels, while the man has been released on police bail pending further enquiries.
Inspector Steve Usher said the incident should never have happened and could have been avoided by responsible ownership, noting that dogs should not be off leads in areas where children may behave unpredictably.
Roman is now recovering at home. His mother said he was in shock and repeatedly screamed, 'I'm going to die' during the attack. She expressed gratitude that the injuries were mostly superficial, but remains concerned about his eye.
