Frankie Macritchie: Family pay tribute to 'happy and cheeky' schoolboy killed in dog attack

'He had a very special heart and was a fighter from the minute he was born, he was Mummy's Boy and Daddy's soldier'

Relatives leave flowers at the entrance to Tencreek Holiday Park, Looe, Cornwall on 14 April 2019, where Frankie Macritchie (9) was tragically killed by a large dog in the early hours of Saturday morning. (SWNS)

The family of a nine-year-old boy killed in a dog attack have paid tribute to him as "a very happy, cheeky boy".

Frankie Macritchie, from Plymouth, died while on holiday at Tencreek Holiday Park in Looe, Cornwall, on Saturday.

Police were called to a caravan on the site just before 5am to reports Frankie had been attacked by a bulldog-type breed of dog.

The schoolboy, believed to have been alone with the dog, was pronounced dead at the scene.

In a statement issued through Devon and Cornwall Police, Frankie's family paid tribute to him.

"Frankie was a very happy cheeky boy. He had a very special heart and was a fighter from the minute he was born, he was Mummy's Boy and Daddy's soldier," they said. "Frankie loved playing on his Xbox, singing and dancing, and watching movies cuddled up with his mum and riding around in Dad's car with his cool shades on.

"His Nanna and Grumps love him so very much and he was their little Frankie Doodle. He loved trampolining and feeding lambs with his cousins, eating chips on the seafront, and sleepovers at all his Aunties and Uncles houses.

"Our wonderful little Frankie will be so very missed by all of his family with every breath that we take."

The family said they would like to thank medical staff, police, staff at the holiday park and "the kind caring people that came to Frankie's aid".

"We would now like to ask for some privacy to be able to grieve for the loss of our boy," they added.

A force spokesman said enquiries into the circumstances surrounding Frankie's death continue.

Hours after the incident, officers arrested a 28-year-old woman on suspicion of manslaughter and having a dog dangerously out of control.

She has since been released under police investigation pending further enquiries.

The dog was seized and remains in kennels.

Speaking on Sunday, Detective Superintendent Mike West said: "Frankie had been staying at the Holiday Park in the company of adults for a number of evenings prior to his tragic death. We believe that Frankie was alone in a caravan with the dog as he was attacked, whilst ... the adults that he was on holiday with, were in an adjacent unit.

"These two groups of people were all known to each other and all from the Plymouth area."

Press Association