Savaged

David Kearney, of Broad Gate, Darwen, was savaged after spending Saturday night carol singing with friends.

He suffered such shocking injuries that his distressed mother Margaret was unable to recognise her own son when she was taken to his hospital bedside.

David and his friends were on their way home when the attack occurred.

Their football went over a 6ft fence surrounding a backyard in Redearth Road, Darwen. When the boys climbed over to retrieve it they came face to face with the three animals.

The other boys, including David's eight-year-old brother Jason, escaped when they saw the rottweilers approaching, but David stopped to pick up some money he had dropped and was trapped.

He was dragged around the yard through the mud, grit and dog excrement and was left lying there until the owner arrived home and raised the alarm.

Police and ambulancemen attended the scene and he was rushed to Blackburn Royal Infirmary before being transferred to Booth Hall Children's Hospital, Manchester, where he underwent a six hour operation.

He has serious injuries to his face, head, arms, abdomen and legs and his condition is said to be stable, but critical.

The dog's owner, Mr Kevin Turner, 42, was said to be very distressed and requested to have two of the dogs, Sam and Jet, put down.

He said: "They are not guard dogs trained to attack people, they are pets. But they are also here to look after my house.

"I have never encouraged them to attack people and I don't take them anywhere where there is a lot of people about."

David's mother Margaret, said: "David was never afraid of dogs. He was trying to pet them and make friends with them when they came up to him. But they just attacked him.

"We don't blame the owner," she added. "The dogs were just protecting their territory, but if they were family pets you wouldn't think they would do a thing like this.

"We have two dogs at home and one is quite big. If it gets to the stage where David's afraid of them I'll have them put down.

"David is such a cheerful boy and always really helpful and generous. When he goes carol singing he always buys us presents with the money he makes. I can't believe anything like this could happen to him.

"I can't think about Christmas and I can't sleep because I keep seeing him lying there with one side of his face swollen. When he comes out of hospital we're going to have a big Christmas party and invite all his friends so that if he is scarred, they will see him and learn to accept him like he is.

"All the staff at the hospital were absolutely brilliant and I can't thank them enough."

Members of his family spent Christmas with him in hospital, including his father, who is separated from his mother and lives in Norfolk.

A police spokesman said it was unlikely that Mr Turner would be charged.

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