The nine-month-old baby who died after being attacked by his family’s XL Bully has been named.
Jonte William Bluck sustained serious head injuries after being mauled by his family’s dog while in the care of his father, 30-year-old Jarrod Bluck, for the weekend in Rogiet, Gwent.
Area coroner Rose Farmer told the inquest that Jonte died before reaching the hospital on November 2, with a provisional cause of death listed as a compressive head injury consistent with a dog bite.
The six-year-old male black dog was seized and later put down.
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Following Jonte’s death, a man in his 30s and a woman in her 20s were questioned on suspicion of being in charge of the ‘dangerously out of control dog’ that savaged the baby boy.
After also being questioned over alleged child neglect, they were released on bail.
At the time of the arrests,ACC Vicki Townsend said: ‘The arrests were made as part of a wide range of enquiries that officers are carrying out to understand the circumstances of the death.
‘It is vital that people think about how their online commentary, in particular social media comments or posts, could impact the ongoing investigation and the criminal justice process.
‘Once again, my condolences and thoughts are with everyone affected by this tragic death, both within the community and further afield.’
The inquest heard that neighbours feared the dog was spooked by fireworks going off outside in the run-up to Bonfire Night.
It has been confirmed that the XL Bully was registered with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and had a certificate of exemption that was issued in 2024.
The inquest was adjourned until August 4, 2026.
XL bully ban and dog attacks
In 2021, there were four fatal dog attacks, two of which involved an XL Bully. One year later, there were ten fatal attacks, with six involving an XL Bully.
In 2023, it was estimated that XL Bullies were responsible for 44% of dog attacks on people, despite being less than 1% of the dog population
Former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak declared the XL Bully breed a danger to communities, placing it on the list of prohibited breeds.
More than 20,000 dog attacks were reported to the police across England and Wales in the 12 months since the introduction of the XL Bully ban in February 2024.
The Independent’s FOI requests show that there were at least 23,064 logged incidents of owners of a dog dangerously out of control, injuring a person or an assistance dog from February 1, 2024, to January 31, 2025.
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