A mother ran outside screaming ‘my baby is dead’ after a ten-year-old girl was mauled to death by a ‘bully XL’ dog.
Witnesses spoke today of the traumatic scenes in the sleepy Yorkshire village which prompted an emergency response on Friday evening.
The schoolgirl – described as ‘beautiful and intelligent’ – died after being bitten by her family’s dog at home.
The family, who have not been named, live in a static caravan in a complex behind a shop in East Heslerton, North Yorkshire.
The girl’s father works as a mechanic there and she is the only child of the couple, local residents said.
People at a nearby caravan site were alerted by the screams of the girl’s traumatized mother at around 4.15pm on Friday.
The family live in a static caravan in a compound behind a shop in East Heslerton, North Yorkshire
People at the caravan site (pictured nearby) were alerted by the screams of the girl’s traumatized mother at around 4.15pm on Friday.
Around the caravan site where a 10-year-old girl was killed
One local farmer, who asked not to be named, said: ‘The dog is an XL bully. It is certified and well maintained. It’s a very big dog. I’ve seen it around the pub a few times, it doesn’t bother anyone or the other dogs and is well-behaved.’
Describing the incident, the farmer said: ‘The mother ran out of the static caravan screaming ‘my baby is dead.’ Some people from the caravan site came to help. He was obviously really distraught.
The police got here quickly, there were two helicopters, an ambulance came and an armed response unit.
‘Someone put a dog in the car apparently.’
The farmer said the family lived in a static caravan behind the business where he worked as a mechanic.
‘He’s really nice. She is a very polite woman who is always grateful and grateful. She’s the nicest girl you’ll ever see on a bike.’
People in one of the nearby caravans were in a pub on the site when the massive emergency response took place.
‘Mum came out screaming about the ‘baby’. It’s terrible. I have an 11 year old son who knows him. I haven’t told him yet. She is a very beautiful girl and very intelligent for her age.’
Commenting on the dog, he said: ‘It’s a big dog and looks like an XL bully but I don’t know the breed.’
Another villager who knew the family also confirmed that the dog was an XL bully.
The family live in a static caravan in a complex behind a shop in East Heslerton
Ten-year-old girl killed by family’s dog ‘XL bully’ (Stock photo)
North Yorkshire Police said the girl died at the scene after suffering serious injuries.
Dogs have been taken to secure kennels and ‘assessed as part of the investigation.’
An inquest will be held at a later date.
Ownership of XL American bully dogs is restricted under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991. Since the beginning of this year it has been against the law to sell, give, leave or breed XL bully.
Since February 1, it has become a crime to own an XL bully without a certificate of release.
When this ban was introduced, a government press release stated that there had been 23 fatal dog attacks since the start of 2021 with XL bullies ‘participating in many of these tragic attacks.’
The Office for National Statistics does not break down attacks by type.
Caravan site manager Samantha Robinson said: ‘The static caravan moved here about four months ago.
‘This little boy says he has a new pet, an XL American bully.
‘He’s such a good little boy, he asked for permission to play on the swings in the park and we gave him.’
Some villagers saw the boy coming and went to their caravan. One said: ‘It’s just a terrible tragedy. He is so sweet. I only knew him because he would come to the park to play.
‘Everyone was shocked and confused about it. His family did not live here for long. I just met him. I never met his father and mother.
‘He would come to the park and play on the swing and I would spend time with him. She’s a lovely little girl – really chatty. It’s just sad.’
Residents of the holiday caravan park knew nothing until the girl’s mother came out of the caravan screaming: ‘My baby is dead. My son is dead.’
The boy was seen enjoying a swing in the caravan park’s play area near Malton, North Yorkshire, the evening before the tragedy struck.
He had moved there for the summer with his parents and was living in a static caravan in a private yard behind a neighboring shed.
A site official said: ‘We know he has a bully dog ​​XL. We only knew (the girl) because her mother asked if she could play in the park and we said ‘Of course she can’.
‘(The woman) told me she had a new dog. Not long ago.
‘We used to come to the park and play with other children.
‘I have never seen or heard of the dog and I am here every day.
‘(The woman) has said to herself ‘We have got a new pet’.
‘Another boy who played with (the girl) in the yard said it was a family pet.
‘A static caravan arrives during the summer in a field next to Snooty Fox’s caravan park outside the village of East Heslerton.’
