Caerphilly mother, whose son was killed by dog, calls out Home Secretary for not banning dangerous breed sooner
Emma Whitfield's son Jack was attacked by an XL bully dog in Caerphilly two years ago
The mother of a 10-year-old boy who was killed by an American Bully XL is asking why the UK Government hasn't acted sooner to ban the breed.
Emma Whitfield spoke out after Suella Braverman called for the American Bully XL dog breed to be banned.
The Home Secretary reacted to a viral video showing an American XL Bully attack in Birmingham. In the post she said "This is appalling. The American XL Bully is a clear and lethal danger to our communities, particularly to children."
"We can't go on like this. I have commissioned urgent advice on banning them."
Reacting to the post, Emma Whitefield, whose 10-year-old son Jack was killed by an XL Bully two years ago, said the call for the breed to be banned should have come sooner.
Emma told us "Last night I saw Suella Braverman's post about seeking urgent advice around banning the XL Bully. Instantly I felt infuriated because she's not had anything to say on the matter so far.
"All of a sudden this horrible video has gone viral from Birmingham and suddenly she has something to say."
Emma had gone to the Houses of Parliament earlier this year to get the laws around keeping dangerous dogs changed. She says back then, the Home Secretary wasn't interested.
"I was speaking to MPs about why changes in the law are needed but she wasn't interested then. The government wasn't interested last month when they said they weren't going to ban the XL Bullies. There was no plan to do it. Now all of a sudden there's a video she's seen and is shocked by, and she wants to do something about it."
"How many deaths have there been from the XL bully and she didn't want to act before?"
Wales' First Minister Mark Drakeford also commented on the Home Secretary's call to ban the breed, and reiterated that something should have happened sooner.
"I think the UK Government should get on with it, and get on with it as fast as possible," he said during a press conference.
"The 1991 Dangerous Dogs Act is non-devolved and it's in the hands of the UK Government. I think they should have acted already, and I certainly think they need to act now."