'An XL bully killed my son Jack – I met PM but his ban won't solve everything'

01 February 2024 , 18:14

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Emma Whitfield and her ten-year-old boy Jack (Image: Emma Whitfield)

A mum whose son was killed by an XL Bully has had a private meeting with Rishi Sunak as she fights for a crackdown on dangerous dog breeds.

Emma Whitfield was presented with the Prime Minister’s Points of Light award, which recognises people making a change in their community. A ban on XL Bullies came into force today after a spate of fatal dog attacks. Emma’s son, 10-year-old son Jack Lis was killed by an XL called Beast near his home in South Wales in 2021. Mr Sunak told her she had shown “incredible courage in the face of an awful tragedy” by campaigning “so other people don’t experience what you’ve been going through”.

Emma Whitfield with Rishi Sunak

Emma, 33, from Caerphilly, has been doing so alongside The Mirror and Labour MP Wayne David. She told The Mirror after the meeting: “I’m sceptical about the ban. As much as I welcome it I think it’s just a plaster over a bigger wound. I don’t think it’ll solve everything. People can still buy a dog from the boot of a car in a car park.”

“There’s no tough regulation or proper punishment around it to prevent this. I still only think responsible people are going to adhere to [the ban] so I still have a lot of worry around irresponsible owners. Not adhering to the ban is essentially putting the dog they claim to love at risk.”

Currently a licence is required for anyone breeding three or more litters a year and/or anyone that breeds dogs and advertises them for sale But Emma warned: “That’s only if you’re doing it as a business, there’s a lot doing it unofficially on social media and word of mouth.”

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During her meeting with the PM he told her he was “so sorry” as she explained what happened to her son. Brandon Hayden, 19, was jailed for four-and-a-half years and Amy Salter, 29, three years over Jack’s death. The Mirror is calling for an overhaul of the Dangerous Dogs Act.

Lucy Thornton