Moment canine ‘lunges at boy on the street’ days earlier than man was savaged to loss of life by animal in east London flat – as girl, 32, is arrested
This is the moment a dog ‘lunged’ at a boy in the street just two weeks before a 42-year-old man was killed by a pit bull terrier outside the same block of flats.
The brown coloured dog is seen latching on to the boy with its jaws before swinging him round violently and sending him sprawling to the floor.
Security camera footage from a nearby shop caught the horrific attack outside a three storey block of flats in Stratford, east London on November 18.
The boy was walking home from school just after 3pm when he was pounced on twice by the dog, which bit him on the neck and pulled him to the ground.
His distraught father tried to fight the animal off but the powerful animal kept its jaws locked on before finally releasing its grip and running around the street.
Footage later showed dog owner Leanne McDonnell, 32, being handcuffed and escorted from her top-floor flat in Stratford, east London by several officers.
Security camera footage caught the moment she was marched out of the block towards a nearby police van.
She is charged with owning a dog dangerously out of control causing injury resulting in death, failing in the duty, as a person responsible for an animal, to ensure its welfare, and having custody of a fighting dog.
Security camera footage from a nearby shop caught the horrific attack outside a three storey block of flats in Stratford, east London on November 18
Leanne McDonnell, 32, of Shirley Road, Stratford, appeared in Barkingside Magistrates Court charged with owning a dog dangerously out of control causing injury resulting in death
An witness to the attack on the schoolboy told MailOnline how he watched the horror unfold from his car parked opposite.
He said: ‘There was a schoolboy walking down the road with his father. It was just after 3pm so the schools had just finished for the day.
‘A little bit further up the road there were two women arguing. The dog with them was getting more and more agitated.
‘As the boy and his dad got nearer to them, the dog ran straight for the boy and jumped and tried to bite his face.
‘I think the dog had hold of his coat and being such a powerful animal he swung this poor lad right onto the floor.
‘His father was doing all he could to help his son but the dog had a firm grip of the boy’s coat and wouldn’t let go.
‘The dog did let go briefly but then attacked the boy again. He was terrified and screaming.
‘Other people were trying to force the dog to let go, it was a frantic situation.
‘The boy was eventually released and thankfully didn’t appear to be too badly hurt but he was obviously very shaken.
‘The police arrived a couple of hours later. There was a squad car parked outside the block of flats.’
This is the moment McDonnell was arrested by police
Police officers are pictured at the scene following the fatal incident that has seen a woman charged
The adult victim was today named as Akif Mustaq. He was savaged by the dog just before 4.30am Wednesday morning.
Medics had spent an hour treating him in the flat before rushing him to hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
A woman living nearby told today how a neighbour living directly below the scene of the attack had called police after hearing screaming and someone shouting ‘get out, get out.’
She told MailOnline: ‘The police initially came into our block and knocked on my door just before 5am asking if we’d heard any shouting.
‘One of the officers told me they had been called by someone in the area who had reported screaming and someone shouting “get out, get out.”
‘I hadn’t heard a thing but the police then rushed out of my block and into the one next door.
‘I wondered what was going on. I could hear a dog barking about an hour later and then I saw a woman being led out in handcuffs and taken to a police van.
‘Shortly afterwards the paramedics wheeled someone out on a stretcher and put them into an ambulance.
‘I didn’t find out until a few hours mater that a man was killed by a dog in a flat at the top of the neighbouring block. It’s really shocking.’
Police were called to Shirley Road (pictured), Stratford, east London, at 4.53am on Wednesday following reports that a man had been seriously wounded
The dog responsible for the fatal attack was described today as an American pit bull.
Another neighbour added: ‘The dog was terrifying, I wouldn’t go near it. It was massive and would growl and bark a lot.’
Mr Mustaq succumbed to his injuries in hospital yesterday after being mauled by a pit bull terrier in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
Today, mother-of-three Leanne McDonnell, 32, of Shirley Road, Stratford, appeared in Barkingside Magistrates Court charged with owning a dog dangerously out of control causing injury resulting in death.
Brunette McDonnell looked subdued as she sat in the dock wearing a grey tracksuit with another grey jumper draped over her shoulders.
She gave no indication of a plea during the hearing and is due to face trial at a later date.
Mr Mustaq, who was said to be friends with McDonnell, had been at her one bedroom flat when the attack occurred, the court heard.
A crime scene was put in place after the man died after being attacked by a ‘dangerous fighting dog’
The victim suffered injuries to the neck, windpipe, thigh, inner thigh and thumb and as a result was pronounced dead in hospital on December 5, prosecutor Ramandeep Mahakan said.
Her lawyer, Marco Guarnieri, told the court Mr Mustaq was ‘a good friend’ of McDonnell’s and she has been ‘very upset’ over his death but is ‘willing to face up to the consequences’.
Officers were called to the scene at Shirley Road, where McDonnell lives, at 4.53am on Wednesday morning. Mr Mustaq was rushed to hospital but later died from his injuries.
His family have been informed and a post mortem will take place in due course.
The dog that was involved in the two incidents has been seized by police and is currently being held in kennels by the RSPCA.
McDonnell is also charged with failing in the duty, as a person responsible for an animal, to ensure its welfare, and having custody of a fighting dog.
The accused, who has three young children, was also charged with three counts of owning a dog dangerously out of control causing no injury in regard to a separate incident on November 18.
The court also heard that the dog had not been kept in suitable conditions and had ‘insufficient access to food and water’ and ‘items and debris on the floor’ provided an ‘unsuitable environment for the dog’.
Detectives probing the fatal mauling have charged Leanne McDonnell, 32, of Shirley Road, Stratford
While the prosecution was making a case for McDonnell to be remanded to custody, the defendant became frustrated, sighing loudly, slapping her hands on her thighs and tapping the glass window to get the attention of her lawyer.
District Judge Susan Holdham granted bail conditions for McDonnell. Her conditions include having to spend each night between the hours of 8pm and 8am at her home.
McDonnell will need to wear an electronic tag, where she is unable to leave East London postcodes beginning with the letter ‘E’.
She is also unable to keep possession of any type of animal and is not allowed to be in contact with any other victims affected by the dog attack earlier this year.
McDonnell will next appear at Snaresbrook Crown Court on January 6 at 10am.
