A chilling sticker posted on the door of a home where a woman who was mauled to death by her pet XL Bullies warns visitors to “nevermind the dogs ”.
Armed officers raced to a home in Hornchurch, east London, at about 1:10pm on Monday following reports of a "critical incident". The woman, believed to be in her 50s, was unable to be saved and the dogs were removed from the scene.
She is yet to be named but a chilling sticker on the door of her home warns visitors: “Nevermind the dogs, beware of the kids.” One neighbour told the Mirror: “The dogs weren’t killed, they’ve taken them away.
"There’s been vans back and forth non-stop since lunchtime and we saw the helicopter come over and you assume the worst. Campion [a nearby school and sixth form college] isn’t far from here so you panic it’s kids or something. You never think a dog’s going to do that. It’s awful.”
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A cordon was in place around the home in Cornwall Close on Hornchurch’s County Park Estate last night as investigations into the tragedy continue. A Met Police spokesperson said the woman’s family is being supported by trained officers.
They said: "The woman was treated by medics from London Ambulance Service, but sadly she was pronounced dead at the scene. Due to the threat posed, armed officers attended. After assessing the situation, officers were able to safely seize two dogs.
"These were registered XL Bully dogs and prior to officers’ arrival had been contained inside a room in the house. They did not leave the house at any time during the incident. The family of the woman, who was the owner of the dogs, are being supported by officers."
A London Ambulance Service spokesperson told The Mirror: "We sent resources to the scene including ambulance crews, an incident response officer and London’s air ambulance. We treated a person but sadly, despite our efforts, they were pronounced dead at the scene.”
New restrictions on XL Bully dogs came into force on December 31 last year following heightened concern about attacks involving the breed. It is now a legal requirement for all XL Bully dogs to be kept on a lead and muzzled when in public. It is also illegal to breed, sell, advertise, gift, exchange, abandon or let XL Bully dogs stray. The move was made after 23 people in the UK died in the three years leading up to the start of the ban.