London woman mauled to death by her extra-large bull dogs

A woman in London has been mauled to death by her two registered extra-large bully dogs in the latest tragedy involving the banned breed, the police said on Tuesday.

The woman, in her 50s, was fatally attacked in Hornchurch, a suburb in East London.

Police said she was pronounced dead at the scene, and the two registered dogs were seized after being contained in a room.

Since February 1, owning the extra large bully breed in England and Wales became a criminal offence without an exemption certificate.

Anyone who owns one of the dogs must have had the animal neutered, micro-chipped, and kept muzzled and on a lead in public, among other restrictions.

The British government’s move to ban extra-large bullies followed a series of attacks by the larger and more muscular version of the American Bully breed. The breed is relatively new.

According to the Office for National Statistics, there were 16 deaths due to dog attacks in 2023, a sharp rise from preceding years when the number had been in single figures.

As of late 2023, around 60 per cent of dogs held in police kennels were a bull breed of some kind.

The attack in Hornchurch comes after a mother and son were jailed a week earlier when an eight-year-old boy was injured in a savage and sustained attack by their extra-large bully.