MAN SENTENCED TO PRISON AFTER BITING YOUNG BOY AND LYING ABOUT THE INCIDENT
Thomas Jack Cockings received a 15-month prison sentence after biting a young boy and then providing a false account of the incident.The court heard that the boy approached Cockings’ dog, prompting Cockings to bite him on the chest.
Following the event, Cockings advised the boy to tell his mother he had been struck by a ball during play.
The incident took place in Port Talbot during the summer of 2021.
The boy’s mother observed a bite mark on his arm and chest, suspecting it was a human bite rather than from a dog.
She was told by authorities to seek medical help, and the boy was treated at Morriston Hospital, where experts confirmed that Cockings was likely responsible for the bite.
Cockings was detained by police and initially claimed that his dog had nipped the boy’s arm, denying involvement in the chest injury.
He consented to a dental check, which, along with photographs of bruising, linked his teeth to the bite mark.
Previously, Cockings had pleaded guilty to assault causing actual bodily harm, but he later attempted to withdraw that plea, asserting that he bit the boy during a seizure and was unaware of doing so.
The judge dismissed this explanation as a “pathetic” attempt to evade responsibility, criticizing his lack of remorse.
Despite his guilty plea, he was sentenced to 15 months in prison, with half behind bars.
He also has a past conviction from 2006 for a public order offence.
The court noted that Cockings suffers from focal epilepsy, depression, anxiety, and borderline personality disorder, which might influence impulsive actions.
