Parents of newborn baby boy who was mauled to death by their Staffordshire bull terrier will NOT face charges after being arrested for child neglect
- Two-week-old Reuben McNulty was attacked by a dog at his Peterborough home
- It is thought parents Dan McNulty and Amy Litchfield were questioned by police
- Cambridgeshire police now confirm no further action to be taken in tragic case
Reuben McNulty died in hospital after a dog attack at his home a month earlier
No one will face charges following the death of a five-week-old baby boy savaged by a Staffordshire bull terrier dog, police have said.
Reuben McNulty was just two weeks old when he was attacked at a property in Yaxley, near Peterborough, Cambs., in November 2018.
He died three weeks later at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge, after suffering severe traumatic brain injury and gastro-intestinal failure.
It is thought two people, believed to be his parents Daniel McNulty and Amy Litchfield, were questioned by police after being arrested on suspicion of child neglect.
But now, a police spokesman has confirmed no further action will be taken.
The spokesperson said Cambridge Constabulary has been working ‘extensively’ with the Crown Prosecution Service.
They added: ‘The 30-year-old woman and 33-year-old man, both from Yaxley, who were arrested on suspicion of child neglect, have been released with no further action to be taken.’
Two Staffordshire bull terrier dogs – named Fizzy and Dotty – were destroyed by police a month after the brutal attack.
At the time of the attack, Amy Litchfield’s father, Paul Litchfield, defended the couple, calling them ‘fantastic’ parents.
Cambridge Constabulary has confirmed no further action will be taken after the death of five-week-old Reuben McNulty. It is thought his parents, Daniel McNulty and Amy Litchfield (pictured), were questioned after the attack which saw the two dogs put down by police
Tragedy unfolded in November 2018 at the family’s home in Yaxley, Cambridgeshire, pictured
Speaking two days after the incident, he said: ‘At the end of the day it’s just a big freak accident and everyone’s making a big thing of it.
‘They’ve done nothing wrong and the way it’s being portrayed at the minute, they’re horrible parents. They bloody aren’t, they’ve been fantastic.’
An inquest held in January last year at Huntingdon Coroner’s Court, Cambs., concluded that baby Reuben died after suffering a traumatic brain injury.
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’.
The dogs, named Fizzy and Dotty, were destroyed following the attack in Cambridgeshire
A social media post by a relative of the family in the week that little Reuben died in hospital
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.’