Abused baby 'was attacked by dog'

An abused baby boy may have been attacked by a Rottweiler dog kept by his mother's boyfriend, a court heard.

The 17-month-old died in August last year after suffering a catalogue of injuries, including a broken back.

Vet Alison Robson told the Old Bailey that a series of puncture marks on his head, "were consistent with having been caused by the canine teeth of a dog".

The baby's mother, her boyfriend, and Jason Owen, 36, from Bromley, south-east London, deny murdering the infant.

The baby also had eight fractured ribs, bruises and an injury which caused him to swallow one of his teeth.

Puncture marks

The child's mother, 27, and her 32-year-old boyfriend cannot be named for legal reasons.

After his death, puncture marks and an X-shaped tear were found on the baby's head.

Miss Robson told the court that the marks had been consistent with dog bites, and said a dog's teeth may have also been scraped over the baby's head.

Consultant paediatric dermatologist Dr David Atherton agreed that the cuts may have been caused by a dog, and that the marks were up to 10 days old.

"They would have had to have been caused by a very big dog," he said.

The child had been on the local Child Protection Register since December, 2006.

The trial continues.