A woman was killed by her two registered XL Bully dogs at her house in east London.
The victim, identified as Angeline Mahal, was treated by paramedics at the home in Cornwall Close, Hornchurch, but died at the scene on Monday afternoon, BBC News reported.
Mahal, believed to be in her 50s, was attacked by the dogs at the semi-detached home just after 1pm on Monday, May 20. Armed police attended the scene and told neighbours in the cul-de-sac to stay indoors before the area was evacuated shortly after 4pm.
Despite London Ambulance Service sending paramedics and a helicopter, the woman was pronounced dead at the scene. On Tuesday afternoon, Mahal was named locally, as His Majesty’s Coroners East London confirmed they had been made aware of her death.
Dogs Were Exempted from Government Ban on XL Bully Dogs
Both dogs were registered as exempt from the government’s ban on XL Bully dogs, which came into effect on 1 February. Under the agreement for having a dog exempt, owners must have had the animal neutered, have it microchipped and keep it muzzled and on a lead in public.
According to the Office for National Statistics, there were 16 deaths due to dog attacks in 2023, a sharp rise from preceding years where the number had been in single figures.
One of the victim’s neighbor said she had warned her child about going near the dogs. “I said ‘Don’t ever touch those dogs. They’re dangerous,'” said the neighbor, who asked to remain anonymous.
Neighbour Sejal Solanki called the woman’s death “very very sad.” “The fact that that’s happened with her own dogs is scary,” she said. “We have children and they’re playing in the field there, near her house, and it could happen to anybody really.”
Julia Lopez, the MP for Hornchurch and Upminster, told BBC Radio London: “I think the whole community is in shock at this incident.”
“To find out it was as a result of her two dogs was deeply distressing and I obviously think of her family and her neighbours who will have been deeply affected by this,” she said.
