A NINE-year-old Plymouth boy was mauled to death by a powerful seven-stone dog in a caravan at Tencreek holiday park near Looe, an inquest heard on Thursday, September 16, writes Nick Irving.

Frankie MacRitchie was alone in the caravan with the five-year-old American bulldog crossed with a Staffordshire bull terrier called Winston when the fatal attack happened in the middle of the night in April 2019.

The inquest at Truro heard that Frankie and his mother Tawnee Willis, now 32, had only arrived at Tencreek holiday park the day before.

Some of her friends were staying in a neighbouring caravan on the site when the incident happened as Frankie was playing on a computer game.

The senior Cornwall coroner Andrew Cox told the remote hearing: "The coroner’s inquest is not concerned with matters of fault. No one is on trial during this inquest.

"There has been a criminal process relating to two prosecutions."

Frankie’s mother Tawnee Willis was jailed for two years at Truro Crown Court in June 2002 after admitting child neglect.

The dog’s owner Sadie Totterdell, now 29, was jailed for three years in the same case after admitting being the owner of a dog dangerously out of control causing injury resulting in death.

Frankie suffered 54 injury wounds to his face, head, neck, chest, back, leg and had defensive wounds to his arm, and he bled to death.

Earlier the inquest heard from Home Office forensic pathologist Dr Deborah Cook who carried out the post mortem.

She spared his family ’any further distress’ by detailing the injuries.

But she told the hearing: "Frankie was sturdily built. He had a lot of blood on his body. I can confirm the injuries I found were extensive.

"The site the dog attack targeted were his head and neck. The dog targeted his buttocks and the back of his waist. There were clear bite marks.

"The dog’s jaw clamped on his right arm and right ankle. His skull was intact."

She said his injuries were ’extensive and devastating’ adding that a child or an adult would have died from the blood loss.

"Even if it had occurred outside a large hospital door I doubt Frankie could have been saved," said Dr Cook.

She said Frankie’s mother discovered her son with obvious wounds and significant blood loss.

Dr Cook said: "The wounds were characteristic of dog bite and mauling type attack."

She said Frankie had some defensive wounds where he tried to warn off the dog and she said the boy died from ’multiple dog bites’.

Det Con Alison Brooks said the dog called Winston weighed 45 kilos and was brought to the holiday camp by its owner on the day of the fatal attack.

First responder James Barnett told the coroner that he was alerted to the incident at the holiday park at 4.48am on April 13, 2019, and arrived at the scene within ten minutes.

He was told there had been a dog attack and it was a ’difficult scene to attend’.

He saw Frankie’s mother ’covered in blood’ and spoke to the boy’s grandfather and said the floor of the galley kitchen was covered in blood.

He gave CPR but said Frankie had suffered ’massive blood loss’ and said the boy had suffered ’bite marks to the back of his head’ and other wounds.

The boy’s grandmother said a friend’s dog was responsible and not a family pet.

He carried on CPR until a paramedic crew arrived and they continued CPR for 30 minutes but declared Frankie was dead at 05.35am.

He said he had given Frankie every chance and was told he had gone ’above and beyond what could be expected of you’.

Paramedic James Hicks said the injuries were ’distressing’ and told the senior Cornwall coroner Andrew Cox: "I saw injuries consistent with a dog attack including bite marks."

Frankie’s father Billy, grandmother Pauline Elford, and aunt Danielle who were present, praised the crews along with the coroner saying: "You brought us some comfort in the darkness by letting us sit with Frankie in his last moments."

The dog was later destroyed.

The inquest continues.