An eight-year-old boy has been scarred for life after a vicious dog attack in a park.
Aaron Collis, who has Asperger syndrome, received deep wounds to his face after being bitten by the dog in a Shefford playground.
The youngster was playing in the park in Churchill Way at around 3pm on Sunday, July 28 when the offender – a man with two young children – entered the play area with a Weimaraner dog.
As Aaron, of Spitfire Road, walked towards the group the dog bit his face, causing cuts to his lip and the skin above it.
The man then used his T-shirt to wipe up the blood before fleeing the park with the children.
After Aaron returned home with his sister Tasha, 10, his dad Mark rushed him to Bedford Hospital.
But doctors were unable to put in stitches as they were unsure whether the dog was carrying any diseases.
Mark condemned the man’s actions and is urging anyone who may have seen what happened or who knows the man to contact police.
He said: “What he did was despicable – the most evil thing a person can do.
“To just walk away like that is inexcusable. The doctors had to leave Aaron’s cuts to weep for a week afterwards because they couldn’t be sure that the dog wasn’t carrying any diseases which could be passed on.
“He will be scarred for life.”
Bedfordshire Police are keen to hear from anyone who may have witnessed the attack or who may have information about the offender.
He is described as a white male, in his late twenties or early thirties, around five feet nine inches tall and believed to live locally.
Anyone with any information should contact PC Paulette Savage on 101, or text information to 07786 200011.