Man, 34, dies after being mauled to death by a dog in park as 20-year-old man is arrested on suspicion of being the owner of the dangerous animal
- A 34-year-old man has been mauled to death by a dog at a park
- He was pronounced dead at the scene of the horror incident in Fareham
- A 20-year-old man from the town has been arrested, police said
- The victim has not been named and the breed of the dog is unknown
A 34-year-old man has been mauled to death by a dog at a park in Hampshire in broad daylight.
He was pronounced dead at the scene of the horror incident in Fareham at around 10.30am on Wednesday.
A 20-year-old man from the town has been arrested on suspicion of being in charge of a dog dangerously out of control. He has been released from custody without charge but remains under investigation while enquiries continue, Hampshire Police said.
The victim has been named locally as Wiggy Symes, who was reportedly a dog lover himself. His Facebook profile includes numerous pictures of him posing with large dogs. Mr Symes’ family have been informed, police added. However, the breed of the dog which killed him is currently unknown. MailOnline has contacted the force for further information.
Tributes have been left at the scene of the attack, a recreation ground is near a mixed secondary school, a community centre, and a hockey club. One read: ‘Wig, my brother from another mother, will miss you so much. Love you, fly high, keep the Stella chilled.’
Another read: ‘Remembering the fondest memories of growing up together. It won’t be the same round here with out you. Keep on strutting, lots of love.’
A 34-year-old man has been mauled to death by a dog at a park in broad daylight, police have said. He was pronounced dead at the scene of the horror incident in Fareham, Hampshire at around 10.30am on Wednesday
A force spokesperson said: ‘We are speaking to people in the area and carrying out other lines of enquiry to establish how the man died.
‘As part of our enquiries a 20-year-old man from Fareham has been arrested on suspicion of being the owner/person in charge of a dog dangerously out of control causing injury resulting in death.
‘He has been released from custody without charge but remains under investigation while enquiries continue.’
It comes amid a spate of dog attacks across the UK, some of which have tragically lead to deaths.
The man was mauled to death by a dog on Hillson Drive in Fareham
Last month, mother-of-two Joanne Robinson was mauled to death by her pet American Bully XL dog after it ‘turned mad in the extreme heat’.
The 43-year-old died at the scene of the attack at a house in Rotherham, South Yorkshire.
She is understood to have been the owner of the animal, called Rocco, which is on the legal dog breeds list.
A three-year-old girl also suffered life-changing injuries in Hampshire last week after being bitten by a Doberman dog.
The dog was seized by police and a 44-year-old woman was arrested in relation to the attack.
