A man made a disturbing joke to his partner about their 26-day-old baby following an incident where their aggressive French bulldog attacked the infant’s toes.
Aaron Newsome, 24, and Caitlin Powell, 20, initially lied, claiming their baby was attacked by a stranger’s dog at a bus stop when they arrived at Ormskirk Hospital on October 5, 2023. However, medical staff became suspicious and contacted the police.
During police questioning, their fabricated story fell apart. Newsome, from Evington in Skelmersdale, reacted angrily to the suggestion of examining his phone, leading investigators to uncover evidence of their deceit.
Text messages revealed Newsome instructing Powell to stick to their story about the incident near a Lidl store and making a callous joke about the baby needing a one-legged suit for the hospital.
The actual attack occurred on October 4, 2023, the day before Powell brought the injured baby to Ormskirk Hospital. Powell continued to insist that a stranger’s dog had bitten the baby until eventually confessing that their French bulldog, Boss, had bitten the child while crying, causing her to panic. Newsome was not present during the incident.
Caitlin Powell’s father, Carl Powell, was also involved in concealing the attack. Text exchanges between him and Newsome suggested he had disposed of Boss, but later messages indicated he had given the dog to a woman who was unaware of the attack.
The baby suffered injuries to his toes, resulting in the amputation of one toe. After a 12-day hospital stay, the baby showed signs of significant healing.
Newsome, Carl Powell, and Caitlin Powell admitted to perverting the course of justice. Caitlin Powell also pleaded guilty to being in charge of a dog that was dangerously out of control, causing injury.
While Newsome had no prior criminal record, Carl Powell, a father of nine, had 24 convictions for various offenses. They received suspended prison sentences from Judge Gary Woodhall, who emphasized the need to prioritize the child’s safety and public risk posed by the dog.
Caitlin Powell’s sentencing was postponed due to the inability to locate Boss’ current owner, Rebecca Cahill, which hindered the judge from making a decision regarding the dog’s fate under the Dangerous Dogs Act. Judge Woodhall expressed the importance of finding Ms. Cahill before proceeding with sentencing.