Uncle of four-year-old boy killed by illegal dog is arrested

The uncle of four-year-old John Paul Massey, who was mauled to death by a dog on Monday night, has been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter. The dog was found to be an illegal breed.

Merseyside police have detained twenty-one-year-old Christian Foulkes following the death of his nephew on Monday at an address in Wavertree, Liverpool, UK. A spokesperson for Merseyside police said that Foulkes would be questioned later. He added, "We can confirm that a 21-year-old man from the Wavertree area of Liverpool has this morning been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter. No other arrests have been made." As reported earlier in the week on Digital Journal, John Paul Massey died following a savage attack by a dog at his grandmothers house. His grandmother fought to try and pull the dog from him but he died at the house from severe neck and head injuries. Tests on the dog found that it was a "pit bull terrier" type of dog. A breed of dog which is banned in the UK under the Dangerous Dogs Act. A criminal investigation was begun after the findings of the tests on the dog. A police marksman shot the dog dead in the front garden of the property after arriving there and finding the dog in an agitated state. In a tribute to John Paul his family said, "John Paul was the light in all of our lives and when that light went out it took a piece of us with it forever." Merseyside police have apologised after it was revealed that a complaint made in February about dog breeding at the house was not followed up. The housing officer that made the complaint was told it was not a police matter. The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) has now launched an investigation as to why the complaint was not followed up.