Father praises 'bravery' of fox-bite toddler

The father of a toddler bitten on the arm by a fox described his son today as a "very brave little boy".

Three-year-old Jake Jermy was attacked after disturbing a fox hiding beneath a temporary building while at a party at a playgroup in Brighton.

It came a fortnight after nine-month-old twins Lola and Isabella Koupparis were mauled by a fox in Hackney. Jake had reached for a ball under the Dorothy Stringer playgroup's building. Staff had reportedly been aware that a family of foxes had been living there for a year.

A friend said: "He's doing ok, but he's got bite marks and lacerations to his arm." Jake's mother Jacqui and father Sam, both 35, said they were relieved the animal had not scratched or bitten their son's face.

Mr Jermy said: "He's doing well. It was a bit of a nightmare."

A playgroup spokesman said the nursery would be shut until children's safety was ensured.