Lifestyle

Boy Mauled by Dogs as Mum Made Heartbreaking 999 Call in Rochdale Farm Horror

Published on July 3, 2025

A court has heard the devastating details of a fatal dog attack in which three-year-old Daniel Twigg was mauled to death on a farm in Rochdale. His mother made a frantic emergency call saying, “The dog just killed him… he’s ripped him to pieces,” after finding him badly injured inside a dog pen.

The incident happened at Carr Farm on Tunshill Lane on 15 May 2022. Daniel had suffered severe injuries to his head and neck, with a pathologist confirming he died from massive internal and external bleeding caused by the dog bites, reported the Express.

Prosecutors told the jury that Daniel had wandered into a pen containing two large dogs, Sid and Tiny, each weighing around 50kg. Just seconds after entering, he disappeared from view, as shown in CCTV footage played in court. The footage captured another dog, a German Shepherd named Ted, reacting violently at the same time, suggesting the start of the attack.

Nearly 20 minutes passed before Daniel’s mother, Joanne Bedford, called emergency services. Paramedics arrived at the farm within 15 minutes of the call and attempted to save the boy, who was in cardiac arrest. Sadly, he later died in hospital.

Daniel’s parents, Joanne Bedford and Mark Twigg, deny charges of manslaughter and offences under the Dangerous Dog Act. Both are currently on trial at Manchester Crown Court.

The court heard that the couple were living at the farm, which belonged to Daniel’s godfather, Matthew Brown. Mr Twigg had worked there doing odd jobs, and after Mr Brown was sent to prison, he and Ms Bedford were allowed to stay on to care for the remaining animals, reported Manchester Evening News.

At the time, there were eight or nine untrained guard dogs on the property, including breeds like American Bulldogs, German Shepherds, and Tibetan Mastiffs. These dogs were described as “difficult to control,” and none of them had been properly trained.

Prosecutor John Elvidge KC told the court that it was not entirely clear how Daniel ended up in the yard, but he had been alone and unsupervised when he entered the pen. That moment, he said, “self-evidently” led to the fatal attack.

One of the dogs, Sid, was shot dead by police at the scene. A post-mortem later revealed the dog hadn’t eaten in at least 12 to 24 hours before the attack. The court also heard evidence from Greater Manchester Police detailing previous incidents involving the dogs through call logs and reports.

In defence of Mr Twigg, barrister Andrew Thomas KC told the jury that they needed to be sure that what happened amounted to “truly exceptionally bad negligence,” not just a tragic accident. He argued that there needed to be a “serious and obvious risk of death,” not just a potential dog bite.

He also stated that the dogs involved were not owned by Mr Twigg or Ms Bedford, but had only been at the farm since Mr Brown was imprisoned and his relationship broke down. He denied that Daniel had been left to wander unsupervised.

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