Peter
Well, I think what made it particularly interesting was the sheer volume of them he'd managed to enchant. There were over 30 recovered in the greater Chiswick area alone, and related reports had them cropping up as far afield as Clacton-on-Sea!
That is...most unfortunate. Especially for the little one. Children are so impressionable - my Ron had something similar happen with a teddy bear when he was small, it was turned into a spider by his brothers. Still has a phobia about them to this day - can't say I blame him.