The Herald

Neighbour had ‘feared XL bully dogs that killed owner were dangerous’

THE neighbour of a woman who was mauled to death by two XL bully dogs feared the animals were dangerous and warned her child to never touch them.

Horrified onlookers saw emergency medical teams administer­ing CPR to the dog owner, aged in her fifties, who was fatally attacked in her home in Cornwall Close, Hornchurch, east London, just after 1pm on Monday.

One neighbour, who did not want to be named, said she had previously warned her child about going near the XL bully dogs.

She told the PA news agency: “I said ‘don’t ever touch those dogs. They’re dangerous’.”

A blue forensic tent was put up outside the woman’s home, which is in a small residentia­l street.

Police said she was pronounced dead at the scene and the two registered dogs were seized after being contained in a room.

Another woman living nearby, who asked to remain anonymous, expressed her shock at the attack.

She told the PA news agency: “I came out of the house and looked to see what had happened.

“We hadn’t heard anything, but saw a helicopter overhead and loads of police.

“I stood by the road and saw a paramedic administer­ing CPR. That poor woman. It’s shocking.”

Neighbours say they were told to stay indoors “out of respect” before being evacuated by the police.

One man who has asked to remain anonymous, said: “I was sat in the garden when it happened. I didn’t hear anything but I saw a helicopter overhead.

“I looked out and saw two or three ambulances and eight or nine police cars. We asked police what had happened, they said there’d been ‘an unfortunat­e incident’.”

From February 1, it became a criminal offence to own the XL bully breed in England and Wales without an exemption certificat­e.