Man and mother jailed over XL bully attack on boy, 8, in Bootle

The attack happened just days after new rules governing the ownership of the breed were introduced in England and Wales.

The court heard despite the law change, Lewis Young had not registered his dog or applied for an exemption.

The hearing was told Young had left his mother in charge of his pet at their flat on Wadham Road on 10 February.

It heard witnesses tried frantically to pull the dog off the boy as it attacked him.

One man described how the animal was frothing at the mouth and shaking the boy’s head.

In a victim impact statement, the child’s mother said his injuries, which included a fractured skull, were likely to affect him for the rest of his life.

The court previously heard the dog, called Snoop, was seized by police and later destroyed with Lewis Young’s agreement.