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Sons discovered mom preventing for her life after XL Bullys mauling

  • Angeline Mahal, 50, was attacked at her home in Hornchurch, in East London
  • Did you see the attack or the aftermath?  Email [email protected]

The ‘devastated’ sons of a woman who was mauled to death by her XL Bullies found their mother fighting for her life when they dropped in to check on her.  

Angeline Mahal, 50, was attacked yesterday afternoon at her home in Hornchurch, east London, with armed police bearing riot shields called to deal with the animals.

She was found lying on the floor of the hallway by her two sons, who tried CPR and called an ambulance. It is feared she may have been dead for several hours already.

They were paying her one of their regular visits to check in on their mother and were seen outside the home looking distraught, with one in floods in tears.     

The Met Police has confirmed that two registered XL Bully dogs had been seized and taken away from the house. 

Angeline Mahal, 50, was attacked yesterday afternoon at her home in Hornchurch, East London ,

Angeline Mahal, 50, was attacked yesterday afternoon at her home in Hornchurch, East London ,

The Met Police has confirmed that two registered XL Bully dogs had been seized and taken away from the house

The Met Police has confirmed that two registered XL Bully dogs had been seized and taken away from the house

One neighbour told MailOnline the two sons stood outside the home as paramedics battled to save Ms Mahal’s life. 

They said: ‘The medics were working on her on the front driveway by the front door.

‘One of the sons was in tears but you could see they were both devastated. The woman lives on her own with the dogs but her sons come round and visit her regularly.

‘I’ve never seen the dogs being walked. I’ve not really seen them in the garden either. I hear them quite a bit in the house, they sometimes bark at night.

‘The woman who died has been renting the house for about two to three years.’

Photographs taken by MailOnline have today revealed a sign in one of the front windows at the home, which reads: ‘Never mind the dog, beware of the kids’.

A cordon can still be seen in place around the property, with police standing outside to monitor the situation as investigations continue. 

Despite the best efforts of paramedics and air ambulance crews who arrived shortly after the incident at 1.10pm yesterday, Ms Mahal was pronounced dead at the scene. 

The sign in one of the front windows at the home which reads 'Never mind the dog, beware of the kids'

The sign in one of the front windows at the home which reads ‘Never mind the dog, beware of the kids’

One police officer standing outside the property this morning as investigations continue

One police officer standing outside the property this morning as investigations continue 

Police are still at the scene where a woman was killed by her two XL Bullys

Police are still at the scene where a woman was killed by her two XL Bullys 

The scene this morning in Cornwall Close, Hornchurch, east London

The scene this morning in Cornwall Close, Hornchurch, east London

Neighbours at the scene of the ‘awful’ attack were left shaken by the news yesterday.

One neighbour who lived opposite the house told MailOnline: ‘I never saw the dogs at all but once I had to knock at the house to retrieve a parcel and I heard them barking.

‘They sounded like big dogs, I was a little wary, but I didn’t see them.’

Another woman who lives a few doors away told MailOnline she saw medics working on the victim.

She said: ‘The first I knew that something was up was when I saw all the police cars and the ambulance parked on the corner.

‘I went out into the road and saw paramedics doing chest compressions on someone right by the front door of a house to the left of mine.

‘I asked a police officer what was going on and if we were safe because initially I thought this might be a stabbing.

‘The officer said we were safe but asked out of respect if I could go back into the house.

‘But a few hours later the police called round to the house and asked us to leave, they said we were now being evacuated for our own safety.

‘The whole close seemed like it was being evacuated. We all moved to the corner by the cordon.

‘About two hours later we were allowed back into our homes.

Police guard a cordon in place around a house at Cornwall Close in Havering, east London today

Police guard a cordon in place around a house at Cornwall Close in Havering, east London today 

The scene this morning in Cornwall Close, Hornchurch, East London after a woman in her 50s died after being attacked by two registered XL Bully dogs yesterday

The scene this morning in Cornwall Close, Hornchurch, East London after a woman in her 50s died after being attacked by two registered XL Bully dogs yesterday

‘When I was told it was a tragic incident involving two XL Bully dogs I was shocked, my husband had been out in the garden early yesterday and didn’t hear anything out of the ordinary, no screaming or barking.

‘The lady who lived there was fairly quiet, I didn’t know her very well.’  

Photos taken at the quiet residential road on Monday night show a heavy police presence, with a cordon set up around the house where the attack took place and officers removing equipment including shields which were used to help secure the property.

Witnesses living nearby reported seeing half a dozen police vehicles arrive in the quiet residential cul-de-sac with their blue lights and sirens on, followed by ambulance and air ambulance crews.

One person told The Mirror that police had not killed the dogs involved, and had instead ‘taken them away’.

They said: ‘There’s been vans back and forth non-stop since lunchtime and we saw the helicopter come over and you assume the worst. 

‘Campion [a nearby school and sixth form college] isn’t far from here so you panic it’s kids or something. You never think a dog’s going to do that. It’s awful.’ 

A woman has been mauled to death by two XL Bully dogs at a house in Hornchurch, Havering. Pictured:  Police at the scene – with one armed with a shield 

Armed officers from the Metropolitan Police were scrambled to a house in Havering, on Monday (pictured are officers at the scene of the fatal mauling)

Armed officers from the Metropolitan Police were scrambled to a house in Havering, on Monday (pictured are officers at the scene of the fatal mauling)

One officer carrying a riot shield was seen in the street following the nightmare mauling

One officer carrying a riot shield was seen in the street following the nightmare mauling 

The incident took place in the east London borough of Havering, with reports that armed police were called to the scene

The incident took place in the east London borough of Havering, with reports that armed police were called to the scene

The mauling is thought to be the first fatal attack by dogs granted an exemption from the government's ban on the breed: A file image of an XL Bully

The mauling is thought to be the first fatal attack by dogs granted an exemption from the government’s ban on the breed: A file image of an XL Bully

One person wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, they had seen ‘half dozen police vehicles, blue lights and sirens, ambulance and air ambulance to Cornwall Close Hornchurch’.

The incident is thought to be the first fatal attack involving registered XL Bully dogs since fresh restrictions on the breed came into force on February 1.

Two days after the ban came into force Esther Martin, 68, was killed by XL bullies inside a property in Jaywick, Essex. Her daughter claimed the dogs were unregistered. 

Speaking about today’s incident, a spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police said: ‘A woman in her 50s has died after an incident inside a house in Hornchurch.

‘Police were called to Cornwall Close around 1.12pm on Monday, May 20, to reports of a woman attacked by a dog. 

‘The woman was treated by medics from London Ambulance Service, but sadly she was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police remained on the scene into the evening following the fatal XL Bully attack

Police remained on the scene into the evening following the fatal XL Bully attack 

A police officer is seen close to the scene of the tragedy picking up a shield on Monday

A police officer is seen close to the scene of the tragedy picking up a shield on Monday 

‘Due to the threat posed, armed officers attended. After assessing the situation, officers were able to safely seize two dogs.

‘These were registered XL Bully dogs and prior to officers’ arrival had been contained inside a room in the house. They did not leave the house at any time during the incident. 

‘The family of the woman, who was the owner of the dogs, are being supported by officers.’

A London Ambulance Service spokesperson said: ‘We were called at 1.09pm today (Monday 20) to reports of an incident in Cornwall Close, RM11.

‘We sent resources to the scene including ambulance crews, an incident response officer and London’s air ambulance.

‘We treated a person but sadly, despite our efforts, they were pronounced dead at the scene.’

The breed has developed a reputation in the UK for violence, with increasing numbers of reported dog attacks in Britain involving XL Bullys in recent years. 

Last month a woman in Scotland was ‘seriously hurt’ after a bully-type dog attacked her in the street.

In April the inquest into the death of a father-of-five who was mauled to death by an XL Bully he was looking after on behalf of a friend heard he had the ‘worst injuries a trauma doctor had ever seen’.

And earlier this month a mother and son who allowed their XL Bully to wander free were jailed after it savagely attacked an eight-year-old boy.

Esther Martin, 68 (pictured) from Woodford Green, London, was mauled to death by two 'unregistered' XL Bully dogs in February

Esther Martin, 68 (pictured) from Woodford Green, London, was mauled to death by two ‘unregistered’ XL Bully dogs in February

Amanda Young, 49, and her son Lewis, 30, were keeping the dog in their small flat in Bootle, Merseyside at the time of the attack in February this year.

Lewis a delivery driver, bought the dog from a Facebook advert but failed to check whether it was a banned breed after new legislation came in at the beginning of the year.

He left the dog, called Snoop, in his mother’s charge but she allowed it to wander around outside the flat, while she sat drinking.

During this time the dog attacked a boy who had been on his way to play football with a friend, grabbing him by the head and neck, and violently shaking him.

Horrified neighbours valiantly tried to get the dog, which was seen ‘frothing at the mouth’ off the youngster as it ripped off his scalp during the attack on February 10, this year.

One bite fractured and pierced his skull and doctors feared at first it could have pierced his brain. 

The boy was left with ‘significant and life-changing injuries’, with doctors warning he will have permanent scarring to his face and revealing that the viciousness of the attack meant they had been unable to re-attach his scalp and had to use skin grafts instead. 

Lewis Young was jailed for two years and his mother was locked away for 20 months, while the dog was destroyed.

Amanda Young, 49, (pictured) and son Lewis, 30, have been jailed after an XL Bully dog attacked an eight-year-old boy

Amanda Young, 49, (pictured) and son Lewis, 30, have been jailed after an XL Bully dog attacked an eight-year-old boy

Lewis Young (pictured), a delivery driver, bought the dog from a Facebook advert but failed to check whether it was a banned breed

Lewis Young (pictured), a delivery driver, bought the dog from a Facebook advert but failed to check whether it was a banned breed

This latest attack comes after new rules were introduced in England and Wales requiring all people who own XL Bully dogs to have an exemption certificate from February 1.

The law, which was criticised heavily by lovers of the breed, makes it a criminal offence to own, breed or sell the animals without permission, and those who have the exemption need to neuter their dogs and have third-party liability insurance.

Campaigners are challenging the Government’s decision to ban the breed, with a case set to go to the High Court later this year.

XL bully owner Sophie Coulthard and campaign group Don’t Ban Me, Licence Me are taking legal action against the Department for Environment and Rural Affairs (Defra) over the large bulldog-type American breed being added to a banned list under Dangerous Dog Act in October last year.

Campaigners argue that the ban is unlawful and irrational, claiming it was based on ‘unreliable’ material, lacked a ‘proper’ analysis over its impact and includes ‘vague’ standards that risked people unknowingly committing a criminal offence.

Government lawyers say the legal challenge should be dismissed and that campaigners’ arguments are ‘meritless’.

Injuries and deaths after attacks by XL bully-type dogs

Jonathan Halstead, 35

Jonathan Halstead, 35

Jonathan Halstead, 35 – January 29, 2020

Jonathan died from a severe neck injury and bites after being attacked in his home in Oldham, Greater Manchester by his pet Staffordshire Bull Terrier, Bronson.

It is believed the dog attacked him when its owner suffered an epileptic fit.

Jack Lis, 10

Jack Lis, 10

Jack Lis, 10 – November 8, 2021

Schoolboy Jack Lis, ten, suffered catastrophic injuries after being mauled by an American XL bully dog called Beast while visiting a friend’s home in Penyrheol in Caerphilly, Wales on November 8, 2021.

Neighbours and Welsh Ambulance Service paramedics desperately tried to save him but he died at the scene. Armed police destroyed the dog on site.

Adam Watts, 55

Adam Watts, 55

Adam Watts, 55 – December 22, 2021 

Adam Watts, 55, was attacked at the Juniper Kennels and Cattery in Kirkton of Auchterhouse, near Dundee, and was pronounced dead at the scene on December 22, 2021. 

MARCH 21, 2022: Undated family handout photo issued by Merseyside Police of Bella-Rae Birch

MARCH 21, 2022: Undated family handout photo issued by Merseyside Police of Bella-Rae Birch

Bella-Rae Birch, 17 months – March 21, 2022

Toddler Bella-Rae Birch was attacked by her family’s pet American bully XL dog when she was just 17 months old.

The vicious dog snatched the child out of her mother’s arms while they were at their home in Blackbrook, St Helens, Merseyside, on March 21 last year.

Keven Jones, 62

Keven Jones, 62

Keven Jones, 62 – May 28, 2022

Keven Jones died after he was attacked by an American Bully XL dog in Wrexham, Wales on May 28 last year.

Ambulance workers attempted to save him but they were unable to stop his left leg bleeding.

Mr Jones was then pronounced dead at his son’s house following the attack. 

Joanne Robinson, 43

Joanne Robinson, 43

Joanne Robinson, 43 – July 15, 2022

Mother-of-two Joanne Robinson, 43, was killed by her American bully XL dog, Rocco, after it ‘turned mad in the extreme heat’ in July last year.

She died at the scene of the attack at home in Rotherham, South Yorkshire while her partner, Jamie Stead, was left with injuries to his hands, stomach and face as he tried to pull the animal off her.

Joanne’s mother Dot, of Wath-upon-Dearne, South Yorkshire, revealed at the time that Rocco had previously fought with their other dog Lola – and she had warned her daughter to ‘get rid of one of them’.

Ian 'Wiggy' Symes, 34

Ian ‘Wiggy’ Symes, 34

Ian Symes, 34 – August 2022 

Ian ‘Wiggy’ Symes, 34, who is understood to have been walking a bully XL dog himself at a recreation ground in Fareham, Hampshire, died at the scene following a horrific dog attack in August 2022.

His devastated family said he was ‘doing something he loved’ when he died in the field in Fareham, Hampshire.

Ann Dunn, 65

Ann Dunn, 65

Ann Dunn, 65 – October 3, 2022

Ann Dunn, 65, was found collapsed with ‘catastrophic injuries’ at her Liverpool home she shared with seven dogs on October 3 last year.

She was mauled to death by dogs including an American bully XL – and had been sent to hospital a year before her death because she had been bitten by a dog. 

Shirley Patrick, 83

Shirley Patrick, 83

Shirley Patrick, 83 – December 3, 2022

Widowed grandmother Shirley Patrick, 83, died after being viciously mauled by an XL bully in her own home.

The retired nurse died in hospital 17 days after suffering ‘life-threatening injuries’ during the ‘hellish’ and ‘violent’ dog attack in Caerphilly, South Wales on December 3 last year.

Jonathan Hogg, 37

Jonathan Hogg, 37

Jonathan Hogg, 37 – May 18, 2023

Jonathan Hogg, 37, was mauled to death by an American XL bully dog when it turned on him while he was looking after it for a friend.

He entered the pen when it went for him, leaving bite wounds on his arm, leg and head, an inquest heard.

He was rushed to hospital but died of his injuries after the mauling in Leigh, Greater Manchester, on May 18 this year.

Ian Price, 52

Ian Price, 52

Ian Price, 52 – September 14, 2023

On Thursday, September 14, ‘pillar of the community’ Ian Price, 52, was attacked and killed by two ‘devil’ XL bully dogs after they jumped out of his neighbour’s window in Stonnall, Staffordshire.

Mr Price was attacked and killed by the two dogs which jumped out of a neighbour’s window yards from a primary school. He reportedly died defending his elderly mother from the animals.

The dogs bit him and ripped the clothes from his body leaving him dying in a pool of blood in his boxer shorts in the horror attack just feet from his home.

Ian Langley, 54

Ian Langley, 54

Ian Langley, 54 – October 3, 2023

Ian Langley, 54, was set upon on the estate in Sunderland on October 3 this year by an enormous XL bully dog which grabbed him by the neck as he bent down to pick up his Patterdale terrier pup.

The attack left Mr Langley needing CPR for around 15 minutes as emergency services fought to stop heavy bleeding from his wounds. He died from his injuries.