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Family mourns mauled 'angel'
02/01/2007 20:21 - (SA)
London - The family of a five-year-old girl mauled to death by a dog said on Tuesday they were "absolutely devastated" at the loss of their "little angel".
The dog, which Merseyside police described as a "pit bull terrier type dog", attacked Ellie Lawrenson and her 46-year-old grandmother in the early hours of Monday morning at a house in St Helens, near Liverpool.
Lawrenson died at the scene from serious head and neck injuries. Her grandmother, Jackie Simpson, is stable in hospital following surgery after suffering damage to her arms and severe injuries to her thumb and elbow.
The dog, which was destroyed immediately after the incident, was just over a year old and had been owned by the family since it was a puppy.
"Ellie was always happy and smiling. She was a little angel, full of life and always running around," said Lawrenson's family.
"We had a great Christmas together, with her little brother, Josh, who Ellie doted on and thought she was a second mother to.
We are absolutely devastated and can't believe she is gone."
Tests carried on dog
Police and officials from St Helens council confirmed that neighbours had twice reported the animal to the local authority about its behaviour, once because it had attacked another dog and the second time because of its barking.
Tests are now being carried on the dog to see if it was covered by the Dangerous Dogs Act.
"The dog is being examined as part of the investigation and in a bid to determine its breed," said a police spokesperson.
Under the Dangerous Dogs Act, owners of purebred pit bull terriers can be held responsible for their pet's actions.
Police said Lawrenson did not usually live with her grandmother, but was staying there for New Year's Eve.
"This is such a tragic incident. When a child loses her life in such circumstances, it has an effect on the whole community," said superintendent Jon Ward.
Last September, five-month-old Cadey-Lee Deacon died after she was savaged by her family's two Rottweilers in Leicester.
- Reuters
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