To be horrified and heart broken by the Frankie Macritchie case

[frillyflamingo]

Frankie Macritchie dog attack death: Mum Tawnee Willis jailed www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cornwall-52939564

I think the mother will be haunted by her actions for the rest of her life but Jesus fucking Christ, I can't believe anyone would think it was a good idea to leave a child alone with any dog, let alone a 7stone bull breed.

I love my dogs and I trust them with my life but there isn't a chance in hell I would leave them with my children for just a minute.

I'm sharing because it's easy to get complacent, especially when you have good natured dogs like mine.

I feel sad for everyone in this sad story but just desperately sad for what that little boy must have gone through that evening, alone.

Fucking stupid woman. I hope she has a hard time in prison and for the rest of her miserable life.

That poor, poor boy. What an awful way to go.

The grandparents were also staying at the caravan park and had offered to babysit that night that's the worst part it was all so unnecessary.

I totally agree with you @Trevsadick

They left a child alone on holiday whilst they went drinking with friends 🤔🤔, anyone else thinking this is similar to another case?

It's really, really not that similar. And there are plenty of people still gunning for the McCanns anyway, so not sure what your point is?

Just know that other women in prison WILL know what this woman did. And they will destroy her

Let’s hope so.

For those comparing this to another case - you might have a point if in the other case the child had been left in the same room as a man whom the parents knew had killed before.

As it is it’s nowhere near the same.

This is an incredibly sad case, the mother has paid the ultimate price in losing her child. No one would expect a dog to attack and kill a 9 year old, in fact they may have thought the dog would be company/protect him, it’s not like he was a 3 year old or a baby. So sad all round, and what a totally different reaction to this case compared with other similar cases.

This is an incredibly sad case, the mother has paid the ultimate price in losing her child.

Why do people say this? No, Frankie paid the ultimate price.

Because as a mother I think losing a child is one of the worst things imaginable. I don’t think there’s many people that would disagree on that.

OP
I seriously don't think a woman (I won't honour her with the name mother) who leaves a child alone with a potentially dangerous dog and goes drinking and taking drugs, is capable of any remorse.

Sadly giving birth doesn't make awful people decent

This wasn’t an error of judgement or a tragic mistake . An error of judgement is letting your 9 year old take a cake out of the oven and then burn their hand, or letting them take a phone to the park which they then lose!
This was wilful neglect, and it was probably something she’d done in the past. And allowing a 9 year old to be up, alone, at 2am playing on a PlayStation is shit parenting even without a vicious dog in the room.

I hadn’t ever heard of this case, and without clicking the link gathered from previous comments just how horrific it was. I then found myself clicking the link just as a way to honour that poor dear boy - like my small gesture to acknowledge his life and grieving for him even though I didn’t know him. Utterly heart breaking and he deserved so much better. For Frankie

*Single parent unemployed mother leaves nine year old child alone. Child dies. Mother gets sent to prison

Married working middle class mother leaves three children under four for a night out drinking with friends. One child is taken, possibly dead. Becomes ambassador for missing people *

Single parent unemployed mother leaves nine year old child alone in a confined space with a dog that has attacked people before. Checks on him after 2 1/2 hours. Child dies. Mother gets sent to prison

Married working middle class mother leaves three children under four for a meal out night out drinking with friends checking regularly. One child is taken, possibly dead. Becomes ambassador for missing people

I can't say I have any sympathy for the little boys mother, but I'm not really sure what the point of a prison sentence is? It's like closing the stable door after the horse has already bolted.

I really wish that it was much, much harder than it is for any bloody idiot to just go out and get a dog. So many dog owners really shouldn't have dogs, they haven't got a fucking clue, they just want them either as a fashion accessory or a status symbol. They don't look after them properly, haven't got a clue how to train them and the results are disasterous. I live in a rural area and I'm not kidding when I say that the amount of reports of dog attacks on livestock/other dogs on leads/people has been a daily occurrence since we've been in lockdown. I've lost count of the amount of times we've had peoples badly trained off-lead dogs running up to us and jumping all over us, my 6yr old is scared of dogs and freaks out but the owners are either nowhere to be seen or just don't give a shit.

I would love to see an end of any Tom, Dick or Harry breeding puppies for profit and selling them to anyone who wants them, and for it to be a legal requirement for all dogs owners to have to have a license and all dogs microchipped and insured but I know that wont happen.

One child was left alone with a large, vicious dog and not checked for four and a half hours.

The other was left in what the parents (wrongly, as it turned out) was a safe environment and checked frequently. Plus, as I've said, plenty of people have had a go at the McCanns anyway!

I honestly don't think there's any justification for making out that this is entirely a class thing. Do you really think the reaction would be any different if the mum in this case had been middle class? I'm pretty sure it would be far worse.

I feel sorry for the McCanns and I feel sorry for this lady. Stupid errors of judgement in both cases.

I feel sorrier for the kids though. Self centred parents are self centred parents whatever their class.

@frillyflamingo

I suppose I think regardless of the prison sentence, she is punished enough knowing that her actions 100% led to the death of her son? That is a life sentence- how could you enjoy life again knowing that. I think her behaviour was fucking indefensible though, absolutely.

There's no guarantee she'll feel guilty for the rest of her life. It's not unusual for people who commit this sort of crime to blame everyone but themselves.

@Noeuf beat me to it.

@Turbotastic

I live near where this happened and have been haunted by it from the time I first heard about it. I know the mother must be beside herself with grief but I just cannot get over the fear and pain that poor boy must have felt. I actually can't think about it too much.

I know she must punish herself every day for what happened but still. He looks a lot like my own DS so I find it even more heartbreaking.

How do you know that? It's quite possible she doesn't care and is just sorry she ot caught.

What have the McConnell have to do with anything?

I personally think they should ahve been charged with neglect too. But thats another thread.

The fact that they weren't doesnt mean what this woman did wasnt as bad.

And they are different circumstances.

@Picklypickles

I can't say I have any sympathy for the little boys mother, but I'm not really sure what the point of a prison sentence is? It's like closing the stable door after the horse has already bolted.

I really wish that it was much, much harder than it is for any bloody idiot to just go out and get a dog. So many dog owners really shouldn't have dogs, they haven't got a fucking clue, they just want them either as a fashion accessory or a status symbol. They don't look after them properly, haven't got a clue how to train them and the results are disasterous. I live in a rural area and I'm not kidding when I say that the amount of reports of dog attacks on livestock/other dogs on leads/people has been a daily occurrence since we've been in lockdown. I've lost count of the amount of times we've had peoples badly trained off-lead dogs running up to us and jumping all over us, my 6yr old is scared of dogs and freaks out but the owners are either nowhere to be seen or just don't give a shit.

I would love to see an end of any Tom, Dick or Harry breeding puppies for profit and selling them to anyone who wants them, and for it to be a legal requirement for all dogs owners to have to have a license and all dogs microchipped and insured but I know that wont happen.

Surely the point of the prison sentence is the same as any other, @Picklypickles? Of course people go to prison after committing a crime. Sending them before they've committed one wouldn't really work!

I think she already has a sentence that will last forever, you can't allow something like that to happen to your child and not suffer with huge guilt. At least its highly unlikely.

She left her kid in danger and he died terribly. You'd have to have a real hard heart for that not to haunt you for the rest of your life whether you were a generally 'bad/neglectful mother' or not. We don't know we are only speculating based on one night. As others have said, others have taken similar risks and unfortunately paid for them too.

She made stupid and selfish decisions and sadly her son paid for them.

Poor lad, looked such a sweet boy. An avoidable tragedy.

No, there are circumstances under which it is okay to leave a 9 year old without adult supervision, there aren't really any circumstances when it's okay to leave 3 pre school children on their own, however "safe" you think it is.