A NINE-month-old baby was attacked and killed by a dog after fireworks sent the animal into a “panic”, heartbroken locals have claimed.
The tot, believed to be a boy, was killed on Sunday evening at a semi-detached house in a quiet street in Rogiet, Monmouthshire.
Locals claimed the dog had become agitated by fireworks let off at a nearby recreation field minutes earlier.
It is believed the dog ”panicked” and went for the child, according to residents in the South-east Wales village.
Rogiet resident Caroline Knight, 53, told The Sun: “Someone was letting fireworks off near the house and the dog was agitated by them and must have panicked and gone for the baby.
“My thoughts are with the family today. It is absolutely heartbreaking. A terrible, terrible tragedy.
“I feel for them especially at this time because I lost my granddaughter two years ago when she was just 11 months old.
“The circumstances in which my granddaughter died were very different, but the feeling is the same and my heart goes out to them.”
Reverend Gilly Hubbard, team vicar for the Church in Wales’ Netherwent Ministry Area, said her community was “in shock“.
She added: “Everyone here is feeling utterly devastated by this. This tragedy is in everybody’s thoughts today. People are in shock.
“But this is a community that is very close-knit and they always pull together, so I am certain they will pull together through this.”
Armed cops and emergency services swarmed the property in Rogiet at around 6pm on Sunday.
Officers seized the dog and removed it from the property after the horror.
It is understood that the baby nor the dog live in the house.
Locals say there were on a family visit when tragedy struck in the property which was recently sold.
The baby’s father was understood to be visiting family at the time.
A woman living next door to the baby’s grandparents said: “It is just horrendous news. We have lived next door to the family for many years and they’re lovely neighbours.
“I can’t believe this has happened.”
‘HEARTBROKEN’
Neighbours in the quiet 2,000 population village were shocked at the tragedy just before 6pm on Sunday night – as fireworks for Bonfire Night exploded around the village.
The alarm was raised at the address in Crossway after darkness fell and explosions began to ring out in the night sky.
A neighbour said: “There were fireworks coming from around that way last night – they were horrendous.
“You could hear dogs bark as well as the bangs – they could have set a dog off.”
Local county councillor Pete Strong described the community as “absolutely heartbroken and stunned” by the tragedy.
He said: “A child is something that brings joy and love, and to lose a child in such awful circumstances is unimaginable.
“I would urge people not to speculate about what may or may not have happened and to stay calm and give the family the space they need to grieve.“
Two uniformed police officers spent the day outside the semi-detached property in Crossway, Rogiet, yesterday.
Police have not disclosed the name of the child, details around who owned the dog or if it was kept at the property.
Anyone with information is asked to call us police on 101, quoting log reference 2500349915.
A Gwent Police source said: “No arrests have been made.
“Enquiries are ongoing to establish the breed of the dog.”
