A DOG owner “refused to destroy” their XL Bully “after an attack” a year before it savaged a baby girl and left her fighting for her life.
Police had initially seized the dog in November 2023 following a report that it had bitten its owner on the finger and caused a minor injury.
UKNIPA baby girl was brutally mauled by her relative’s XL bully dog[/caption]
UKNIPShe was airlifted to hospital after the attack[/caption]
PAPolice at the scene[/caption]
The dog, Hunter, was released before it then savagely attacked an eight-month-old infant, named by relatives as Arabella Williams, on Wednesday.
A spokesperson for Kent Police told MailOnline the owner had been asked to “voluntarily surrender the dog to officers for destruction” but had “declined” to do so.
They added that there were “no legal grounds” for the officers to keep the dog at the time but that the owner was asked to agree to the conditions of a police order.
These included keeping the dog “secure and supervised”, and allowed the dog to be returned.
However, just over a year later, the dog launched a savage attack on eight-month-old Arabella.
Emergency services had rushed to the scene of the mauling at just after 2.30pm.
Arabella was airlifted to hospital from the property in Siskin Close, Hawkinge, Kent, to King’s College Hospital in south London, and was left fighting for her life.
Police arrested an 18-year-old man and 76-year-old woman who remain in custody on suspicion of being in charge of a dog dangerously out of control.
Hunter was described as an 18-month-old “pure” XL bully.
The force confirmed the pet was registered on the exemptions list, as per new laws, and has since been seized and destroyed.
Forensics officers remained at the cordoned off home on Wednesday evening.
A neighbour said: “Nobody knows why but the dog snapped yesterday (Wednesday) and attacked Arabella and she was airlifted to hospital in London.
“The last I heard she was improving but her condition is still serious.
“We are praying she pulls through.”
An aunt told The Sun today: “I think it’s more he’s a lad isn’t he and he’s having a phase and he just wants a big a** dog. Not thinking it was going to do that.
“The dog got killed on the spot – it got killed in the house. She paid all this money £300 for that b******s.”
‘ABSOLUTELY HORRIFIC’
She said the dog had to be muzzled but was like “peas in a pod” with the baby.
She went on to say, the dog would sit next to her on the sofa, and the attack “was out of character” and “out of nowhere”.
“One minute they were sharing food and things like that, the next minute the dog picked her up like a rag doll and shook her,” she said.
“The baby was in ICU last night (Wednesday), it was touch and go. She has quite a few scratches and holes in her head. She was a bit better this morning.
“It come out of nowhere – the dog used to go out and play with sticks and all that.
“I think it was a jealousy thing in the house. I think she cried, then it bit her like ‘shut up’ kind of thing.”
An uncle also told us: “It’s my nephew’s dog, he has autism. It was supposed to be a therapy dog for children, so he could get out the house and all that.
“I don’t know why he wanted an XL Bully but it was just a therapy thing.
“The dog used to sit in the cot with the baby.”
A builder working nearby added how the street is “normally an incredibly quiet area” and they were “shocked” by the police presence.
“We have since heard about the baby girl involved in the incident and it sounds absolutely horrific,” he added.
Another family member told Kent Online: “I am very surprised the attack happened as Hunter is normally a very friendly dog. But it’s in their nature to be aggressive.”
A Kent Police spokesperson said: “Kent Police was called at 2.23pm on Wednesday 11 December, to a report that an infant had been bitten by a dog inside a property on Siskin Close, Hawkinge near Folkestone.
“Officers attended along with South East Coast Ambulance Service and an eight month old girl was airlifted to a London hospital where she remains in a serious condition.
“The dog was seized and destroyed. An 18-year-old man and a 76-year-old woman were arrested on suspicion of being in charge of a dog dangerously out of control. They remain in custody while enquiries continue.
“Officers will remain in the area while enquiries are carried out and to provide reassurance to the local community.”
Authorities are urging anyone with information to come forward.
The Sun has reached out to Kent Police for comment.
UKNIPPolice cordoned off the property[/caption] Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
