Nine-month-old baby boy killed by family pet

Police were called to a property on Crossway, Rogiet, on Sunday evening

A nine-month-old baby boy was killed by a family dog in south-east Wales.

Police officers and paramedics were called to an address in Crossway, Rogiet near Caldicot, Monmouthshire, at about 18:00 GMT on Sunday.

According to Gwent Police, the baby was pronounced dead at the scene by personnel from the Welsh Ambulance Service.

The dog was sedated, removed from the property and taken to a vet where it was put down.

The force added no arrests had been made and inquiries were still ongoing to establish the breed of dog involved.

Assistant Chief Constable Vicki Townsend said: "The family of the child are being supported by dedicated officers. Our thoughts remain with them at this difficult time.

"We are in the very early stages of the investigation and officers are continuing to carry out various lines of enquiries to understand the circumstances of this tragic incident.

"Enquiries are still ongoing to establish the breed of the dog, it is important that we're certain of the breed and will release the information once it has been formally confirmed.

"We understand that an incident like this can have an impact on our communities, but we urge people to not to speculate and to consider the impact that speculation can have on the family and friends of the family.

ACC Vicki Townsend urged anyone with any information or concerns to contact the police.

Deputy First Minister Huw Irranca-Davies, described the incident as a "real tragedy" and said: "Our thoughts go out to the family and those in the local area as well.

"That's the immediate concern, to make sure we have that support there in place for the family and then to understand what has gone wrong, but right now our hearts go out to all those affected."

Residents of the village said they saw police cars and ambulances on the street late Sunday evening, with the "quiet community" finding it difficult to come to terms with the "horrendous" events of Sunday night.

Rogiet county councillor Peter Strong described the village as being in mourning, but vowed residents would "stand together".

"It's a deep and profound sense of shock that such a thing should happen in amidst our quiet community."

Mr Strong appealed to local people to "stay calm [and] to give the family the space they need to grieve in peace".