A grandmother who was killed by XL bullies died of “unsurvivable” dog bite wounds, an inquest heard.
The Police discovered east-London resident Esther Martin, 68, unresponsive inside a property in Essex.
Coroner’s officer Andy Flack said police were called to a disturbance at the address in Hillman Avenue at 4pm on February 3.
He said Ms Martin, who was staying at the address but lived in Woodford Green in east London, was found along with “two large dogs”.
“She was unresponsive, her injuries were un-survivable.”
He said Ms Martin was pronounced dead at 4.47pm, with her medical cause of death recorded as “dog bite wounds to the upper right limb”.
Ms Martin had reportedly tried to break up fighting puppies before she was attacked.
Two dogs were destroyed at the scene and were later confirmed by Essex Police to be XL bullies.
A 39-year-old man, who was arrested on suspicion of dangerous dog offences, has been bailed until 5 March.
What are XL Bullys? What is the Law?
An XL bully is the largest kind of American bully dog. Other types include standard, pocket and classic.
The government described them as large dogs “with a muscular body and blocky head, suggesting great strength and power for [their] size”.
There has been a significant rise in the amount of dog seizures by the MET over the last decade. XL Bullys have become the top offender in dog attacks.
According to one report, American XL Bullies have been involved in 44 per cent of attacks on people in 2023, and 75 per cent of fatalities since 2021, despite only being around 1 per cent of the UK dog population.
In England and Wales, the breed has been added to the list of dogs banned under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991. It means breeding, selling or abandoning them is illegal.
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HeadlineXL Bully victim suffered ‘unsurvivable’ dog bite, an inquest has heard
Short HeadlineGrandmother died from 'unsurvivable' XL bully bite, inquest told
StandfirstThe victim died from a bite wound to her upper right limb after being attacked by "two large dogs".
A grandmother who was killed by XL bullies died of “unsurvivable” dog bite wounds, an inquest heard.
The Police discovered east-London resident Esther Martin, 68, unresponsive inside a property in Essex.
Coroner’s officer Andy Flack said police were called to a disturbance at the address in Hillman Avenue at 4pm on February 3.
He said Ms Martin, who was staying at the address but lived in Woodford Green in east London, was found along with “two large dogs”.
“She was unresponsive, her injuries were un-survivable.”
He said Ms Martin was pronounced dead at 4.47pm, with her medical cause of death recorded as “dog bite wounds to the upper right limb”.
Ms Martin had reportedly tried to break up fighting puppies before she was attacked.
Two dogs were destroyed at the scene and were later confirmed by Essex Police to be XL bullies.
A 39-year-old man, who was arrested on suspicion of dangerous dog offences, has been bailed until 5 March.
What are XL Bullys? What is the Law?
An XL bully is the largest kind of American bully dog. Other types include standard, pocket and classic.
The government described them as large dogs “with a muscular body and blocky head, suggesting great strength and power for [their] size”.
There has been a significant rise in the amount of dog seizures by the MET over the last decade. XL Bullys have become the top offender in dog attacks.
According to one report, American XL Bullies have been involved in 44 per cent of attacks on people in 2023, and 75 per cent of fatalities since 2021, despite only being around 1 per cent of the UK dog population.
In England and Wales, the breed has been added to the list of dogs banned under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991. It means breeding, selling or abandoning them is illegal.
