Five year old girl killed by a dog!!

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jpatel

@jpatel

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Posted: 18 years ago

This is not the only cas

Family devastated by girl's death

Ellie was found bleeding to death in the living room

Floral tributes

The family of a five-year-old girl killed by her uncle's dog say they are "absolutely devastated" by her death. Ellie Lawrenson died of severe head and neck injuries after being mauled at her grandmother's house in St Helens. Ellie's family, who described her as "little angel", laid flowers outside the house on Tuesday night. Post-mortem tests showed the dog was a pit bull terrier-type breed, prohibited by the Dangerous Dogs Act. Two previous complaints had been made about the pet. Supt Jon Ward, of Merseyside Police, said: "An assessment has been made by a recognised expert on the Dangerous Dogs Act, from the Metropolitan Police, and he has confirmed that the dog was a pit bull terrier type." The girl's family issued a statement in which they said: "Ellie was always happy and smiling.

Ellie Lawrensons family leave flowers outside the house where she died

We are absolutely devastated and can't believe she is gone

Ellie Lawrenson's family

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"She was a little angel, full of life and always running around. "We had a great Christmas together, with her little brother, Josh, who Ellie doted on and thought she was a second mother to. "We are absolutely devastated and can't believe she is gone." Police found Ellie in the living room of the property in Knowles House Avenue, Eccleston, shortly before 0430 GMT on Monday. Ellie's grandmother, Jackie Simpson, 46, had managed to lock the dog outside but suffered injuries to tendons in her arm, and wounds to her thumb and elbow. She was taken to Whiston Hospital and underwent emergency surgery but is now said to be in a stable condition. Police have yet to speak to her about what happened. The 1991 Dangerous Dogs Act imposed conditions on the ownership of four types of dog. Lord Baker, who introduced the act when he was Home Secretary, said it was intended to get rid of pit bull terriers from the UK.

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He said: "That sort of dog should not be available to be owned in the UK and that was the purpose of the Act." He also called for other breeds, including Alsatians, to be registered and muzzled in public. It has emerged that the dog's owner, Ellie's uncle, was warned by St Helens Council last June about the animal's behaviour after it attacked another dog. A second letter was sent after the council received a complaint about the dog's barking. Several neighbours claimed the dog had violent tendencies and one man, who did not want to be named, said he had been attacked by the animal.

The dog was shot dead by a police marksman at the house.

Police said Ellie had been staying with her grandmother after her parents had been out to celebrate New Year's Eve.

this is not the only time where a child has been killed by a dog...

Shock after baby killed by dogs

Residents have been putting flowers and toys outside the pub

Neighbours and residents have been laying flowers outside a pub in Leicester after a five-month-old baby was killed by two Rottweiler dogs. The girl was savaged in the living quarters of the Rocket pub in the New Parks area. Local MP Patricia Hewitt described the death as appalling. Police are investigating how the animals came to attack the baby. The two Rottweilers, which lived at the pub, were put down after the attack on Saturday. A spokesman for the Leicester Coroner's Office said a post-mortem examination would be carried out on the child on Tuesday, after which an inquest into her death would be opened.

This is the most appalling tragedy and my heart goes out to the parents of this little baby who's died in such appalling circumstances

Patricia Hewitt, MP for the area

Community in grief

One neighbour, Rose Duke, said: "Those dogs were terrible. If I passed, they would come charging across the roof. "They frightened the life out of anyone who passed the pub. I would not have trusted them as far as I could throw them. People are in shock." The girl, who has not been named by police, was taken to Leicester Royal Infirmary on Saturday afternoon where she later died from her injuries following the attack in Stephenson Drive, New Parks. It is thought her parents had been looking after the pub and the animals while the landlords were on holiday.

The Rottweilers lived at the pub

The attack comes weeks after a boy aged four in Cambridgeshire had 200 stitches after being attacked by an American bulldog. Chris Lawrence, veterinary director of the Dogs Trust, said a change in the law might be necessary to minimise the possibility of this sort of attack.

He said investigators should be examining "why these dogs behave like this, why the training of the dogs is inadequate, and addressing those sort of issues".

Patricia Hewitt, MP for the area where the attack took place, told BBC Radio Five Live: "This is the most appalling tragedy and my heart goes out to the parents of this little baby who's died in such appalling circumstances."

It is very upsetting to know that our cute furry pals can be like this 😔