Boy freed from dinosaur's jaws

A SEVEN-YEAR-OLD boy was last night recovering at home after being rescued from a Tyrannosaurus Rex in Andover, Hampshire. The dinosaur came off worst, having had its head removed by firefighters, writes Alex Renton.

Steven Spielberg's film Jurassic Park notwithstanding, this was probably the first encounter between Homo sapiens and T Rex in the latter's 80 million year history. Craig Appleton's T Rex may only be a four-inch rubber model, but it is certainly tenacious. When Craig stuck his finger down its throat, neither his mother, armed with washing-up liquid, nor an off-duty fireman neighbour could remove it.

So Craig had to be taken to Andover fire station, where officers used a ring cutter to remove the dinosaur. Paul Appleton, his father, said that Craig's experience had not led to saurophobia. 'He hasn't been to see the film yet, but he wants to. This will make him even keener to watch it.'

Tony Langstone, Hampshire County Council's trading standards officer, said he was eager to examine the toy, though there is no specific British safety standard applying to dinosaurs.