The mum of a 10-year-old boy mauled to death by a dog has said she will fight the owners' sentence.
Emma Whitfield believes the sentences the two people responsible for her son's death received are "not even close to justice".
Jack Lis was tragically killed by an XL Bully on November 8 last year after being invited to a school friend's house in Penyrheol, Caerphilly, to meet the new family dog, WalesOnline reports.
The dog, named Beast, had been captured on CCTV in the days before the incident jumping up and attempting to bite people in the street, a crown court later heard.
Beast's owner, Brandon Hayden, was eventually sentenced to four years and six months’ imprisonment while Amy Salter, who was asked by Hayden to take care of the dog at her home, was sentenced to three years imprisonment. Both were banned from owning a dog indefinitely.
Emma said: “Deep down I’m not sure whether I will ever get the chance to appeal but I have to do everything in my power to try.
"If I don’t I will feel as though I have failed Jack.
“For Brandon Hayden the courts said it was medium culpability because the dog wasn’t used as a weapon or for intimidation. If that dog can’t be deemed intimidating I really don’t know what can.
“We’ve all seen the CCTV. The dog doesn’t take its eyes off that child for a very long time and it lunges at people. I wouldn’t ever want to even walk past that dog. To tell me that’s not intimidating is surely not right.”
After finishing school on the day of the attack, a court heard Jack was invited to see the dog when no adults were present. Jack was initially nervous of Beast but having been reassured of his safety he went up to the dog to give him a stroke.
But Beast violently jumped up with his paws out and sent Jack crashing to the floor before proceeding to fatally attack him.
Brandon Hayden, 19, of Pen y Bryn, Penyrheol, purchased Beast on November 3 having responded to an advert on Facebook.
The seller said the animal was not good with other dogs but Hayden agreed to take ownership of Beast on the understanding it was prone to aggressive behaviour.
Despite his house being too small for Beast and his father too ill to look after him, Hayden went forward with the deal, viewing the dog as a status symbol.
He asked friend Amy Salter if she would be willing to keep the dog at her house. Salter, 29, then of Pentwyn, Penyrheol, initially rejected the request having felt nervous of Beast's size but later relented and agreed to let Beast live in her home.
In a number of incidents, Beast attempted to attack and sometimes bite passers-by as Hayden and Salter looked on and laughed.
The dog also frightened children, with one boy abandoning his scooter in fear the dog would bite him. Hayden was hardly able to keep the animal under control as it pulled and strained on the lead.
Hayden was sentenced to four years and six months detention in a young offenders' institute and Salter was sentenced to three years imprisonment. Both were disqualified from owning or keeping a dog indefinitely.
"To think he’ll be out in a couple of years for good behaviour,” Emma said.
“He got four years and six months because some of the charges will run concurrently. I don’t want to say ignored but some of the charges seem to have not been acted on.
“Amy Salter stood laughing while that dog lunged at people and even children. She let it into her house with no protection for the dog and no protection for people from the dog. Why does she get away with one and a half years in prison?
“When you break it down like that, how is that justice for the death of my son? It’s not even close to justice.
“No sentence will ever be enough. But I do definitely think more could have been done.
“This is why I need to try and appeal. I hope the response to the petition can show how much support we have and how many people disagree with the sentences passed.”
Emma has published a petition online asking for support in seeking an appeal for the sentences for both Hayden and Salter.
“I’ve spent days since the sentences were passed sifting through research and reading through guidelines,” she said.
“I was told immediately after the sentences that because they fell within the sentencing guidelines there was no chance I would be able to appeal."
Emma said she had never met Hayden or Salter but knew her son played along Pentwyn because he had many friends on the street.
She said had she known about the dog there is “no way on Earth” she would have allowed Jack into the house.
“I had no idea who Brandon Hayden was,” Emma added.
“I had seen Amy Salter before around the school while picking up the kids, but had never spoken to her.
“I knew the type of people who hung around that shop and I stayed well away. Those people you see in the CCTV are always around there. It’s that kind of thing.
“I’m a quiet person and hadn’t met many people in the area prior to all of this, even though I’ve lived here 11 years, but have since met a lot of people and spoken to them.
“Without a doubt if I knew anything about that animal there is no way on Earth Jack would have gone in there. We always talked with the kids about how to stay safe around animals."
