10-year-old girl killed by family’s XL bully dog in Yorkshire

A 10-year-old girl died after being attacked by her family’s pet XL bully, an inquest heard.

Savannah Bentham had been left alone watching television with the six-year-old pet, named Biggie, when she was attacked by the dog last November.

Her mom Tracey had stepped out to ask a relative to fix a faulty gas canister connection at their static caravan home in East Heslerton, Yorkshire, while her dad Bradley was at work.

But when Tracey returned, she found Savannah lying in the fetal position and Biggie covered in blood.

The dog was locked in a car while customers at a nearby business and then paramedics tried to resuscitate the schoolgirl, but she died at the scene from injuries to her neck.

An inquest into Savannah’s death was held yesterday, and Detective Chief Inspector Matthew Wilkinson said there was no evidence that the dog had ever behaved aggressively before.

XL bullies are a banned breed under dangerous dog legislation; however, the family had complied with all requirements to continue owning Biggie.

This included obtaining an exemption certificate, registering it with a vet, having it chipped and neutered, and wearing a muzzle in public.

But until the attack, there hadn’t been ‘any cause for concern’ and Biggie was described as a ‘lazy dog’.

Det Chief Insp Wilkinson told the inquest: ‘There’s never been any incident in relation to the dog in the family home as far as the inquiry determined.

‘When they returned to the caravan, they could see that Biggie had attacked Savannah and, consequently, the emergency services were called.’

There were no witnesses to the attack on Savannah, which led to the dog being put down.

A post-mortem examination on the dog found no ‘physical or pathological alterations’ that would have caused a ‘burst of aggression,’ the inquest heard.

North Yorkshire’s senior coroner Jon Heath recorded a narrative conclusion, saying Savannah died ‘as a consequence of injuries inflicted on her by the family dog’.

In a statement issued by North Yorkshire Police after the incident, Savannah’s family said: ‘We are utterly shocked and devastated by what happened to Savannah.

‘We can’t believe we have lost our wonderful girl who we love so much.’