Wife vows to stay with her husband

A mother has vowed to stay with her fiancé, who was jailed today after his ‘wild’ Alsatian cross Chow Chow beat her newborn baby to death.

The tragic Elon Ellis-Joynes was just 12 days old when he was ravaged by a “dangerous” mongrel Teddy at the family home in Doncaster, South Yorkshire.

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The tot suffered 40 stab wounds during the horror attack when his mother Abigail Ellis, 28, went to the bathroom.

Ms Ellis and her partner Stephen Joynes, 36, have been charged Owning a dog that caused death by spiraling dangerously out of control after the horror on September 13, 2020.

Joynes initially denied the charges but later pled guilty and accepted full responsibility. He appeared at Sheffield Crown Court today to the sentence.

Ms Ellis pleaded not guilty. A scheduled trial in July was abandoned after prosecutors asked for an acquittal in her case.

Today a judge heard Joynes moved in with “vulnerable” mother-of-three, Ms Ellis, following the death of her former partner, whom she had cared for through illness.

Lawyers said Ms Ellis will stay with Joynes despite the horror – and the pair are “supporting” each other.

The court heard that Teddy was originally a gift from Joyne’s ex to her daughter in January 2019. However, Joynes took the pet when it was soon revealed that the mother and daughter “couldn’t handle it.”

But the animal could not settle into its new home.

Richard Thyne QC, prosecutor, said that in the weeks before Elon’s death a “intimidated” neighbor had raised his fence to two meters to prevent Teddy from entering his property.

The dog also bit another child in the family home five weeks before Elon died – although a family doctor was initially told a “stray dog” had caused the injury.

On the day of Elon’s death, Ms Ellis briefly dropped her son to go to the toilet while Joynes played with another child Outside.

NEWBORN BABY BEATEN TO DEATH

Teddy then escaped from his pen in the garden.

Another youth went inside and spotted the snarling dog standing over Elon after noticing the animal was gone.

Mr Thyne told the court: “Abigail Ellis called 999 in distress and described that her baby was pale and bleeding. Neighbors also heard the commotion and ran to help.

“A neighbor saw that the baby was breathing and was crying softly.

“He had large bumps the size of golf balls under his skin that were red in color.

“Ms Ellis was distraught and Mr Joynes was in a panic and said ‘I don’t know what to do’.”

Mom’s screams

The neighbor tried to help and pressed on the injuries.

Terribly, she could feel air escaping from Elon’s lungs as he gasped. She also discovered blood coming out of his diaper.

Other witnesses heard Ms Ellis’ mother yell, “I told him to get rid of that dog.”

When paramedics arrived, one – Chloe Hepworth – recorded dozens of stab wounds on the baby’s body, as well as two cuts on the torso and abdomen.

He was hospitalized but died at 4:12 p.m. that day, despite the efforts of doctors.

Edward Moss, mitigating Joynes, called the incident “a tragedy by the very definition of the word”.

“This is a man who has suffered the greatest loss of all at his own hands,” he said.

It was a tragedy waiting to happen…you should never have kept that dog

The couple are still together but have lost custody of their other children, he said.

“They support each other. They are still together. Their plan is for them to get their children back and move on from this,” Mr Moss said.

“It’s something he’ll never forgive himself.”

But Judge Jeremy Richardson QC said Elon’s death was “a tragedy waiting to happen” and that Joynes “never should have kept that dog”.

He told the accused: “They knew the dog was unmanageable and had vicious characteristics.

“They had made no attempt to socialize the dog with children. All you did was kick and hit the dog and take him outside.

“You have not taken effective steps to protect any of the children, least of all your 12-day-old son.”

Teddy was destroyed.

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