canine attack
© Angela Antunes / CC by 2.0
A 10-year-old boy was mauled to death by a dog at a holiday park in Cornwall early Saturday morning.

The boy was attacked by a "bulldog-type" dog at Tencreek Holiday Park in Looe, shortly before 5am.

Police were called to the caravan park where they found the boy "unresponsive" following the savage attack.

The child died at the scene and a search was launched to find the dog and its owner, who had fled the scene.

A teenage girl told how she inadvertently helped a blood soaked woman and a dog by paying for her train fare, believing she had been subjected to domestic violence.

Ashleigh Toms, 19, of Looe, said she came across a woman and the dog just after 6am in Shutter Hill close to where the incident occurred.

She described the dog as a "boxer bulldog type," brown and white and said he was "huge" and "muzzled."

Ms Toms said: "She asked for my help and for money to get a taxi. I asked what happened and she said she had been on a night out and been attacked by her boyfriend who she said went nuts at her.

"She and the dog were covered in blood and when we got on board she went straight to the toilet to clean herself up. She got very upset on the train and started crying her heart out,

"I have been a victim of domestic violence in the past so I thought I could help her. I only heard about the dog attack later when my partner rang me. It left me in complete shock and I was very upset."

A 28-year-old woman was last night being held in custody on suspicion of having a dog dangerously out of control and manslaughter.

Devon and Cornwall Police said the dog was also found and transferred to kennels, where it is likely to be destroyed.

Officers said the boy's next of kin had been informed about the attack and were being supported by police officers.

South Western Ambulance Service said they were called at 4.42am to a dog attack incident at the caravan park. A spokesman added: " We sent a number of resources to the scene where paramedics treated a male patient."

One local business owner criticised the behaviour of some dogs owners in the area, particularly the habit of letting them off their leash.

She said: "I'm upset, I know the owners of the park and they must be devastated. It's a really lovely family place and it'll be a shame if it's putting people off just because of somebodies incompetence to look after a dog.

"My child has been knocked down by a ladies Greyhound while on the way to school and my partner has been bitten three times in eighteen months."

She added: "We had to put a polite notice outside our business because we've had dogs attacking the net on pushchairs. People shouldn't be taking dogs into small places if they know they're like that or letting them off a lead."

The attack in Looe came after a six-week-old baby was left in a critical condition in hospital after being savaged by a terrier in Hawick, in the Scottish Borders, on Thursday afternoon.