Seventeen-month-old girl tragically killed in dog attack in St Helens
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A 17-month-old girl has tragically died after being attacked by the family dog at her home in St Helens.
Bella-Rae Birch was rushed to hospital after emergency services arrived on the scene at Bidston Avenue, Blackbrook, on Monday afternoon but she sadly died as a result of her injuries.
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Hide AdThe dog, which was only bought by the family a week ago, has been put down and a police investigation is underway to determine the breed and whether it is legal under the Dangerous Dogs Act.
Superintendent Steve Brizell of Merseyside Police said Bella-Rae “lost her life in the most unimaginably terrible circumstances”.
Adding: “Detailed investigations are continuing into this tragic event.
“We are working to identify all the previous owners of the dog so we can establish its history.”
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Hide AdPolice were called to Bidston Avenue at around 3.50pm on Monday following a report that a child had been attacked by a dog.
One neighbour, who gave her name as Jordan, said she ran to help Bella-Rae.
She said: “We pulled up from school and heard screaming. I just ran over to try to help and started CPR until the paramedics took over.”
The neighbour, who is due to go to university to train as a paramedic, said the child’s parents were “hysterical”.
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Hide AdFellow resident Joanne Matthews, 53, said: “She was such a beautiful little girl, toddling about.”
She added: “I saw them bring the dog out. I couldn’t tell what breed it was but from the back it looked like a Staffordshire bull terrier or pitbull.”
Superintendent Brizell confirmed officers will remain on scene at Biston Avenue throughout Tuesday.
Extensive CCTV, witness and house-to-house enquiries have been carried out and police are urging anyone with any information about the incident or the dog to come forward.
How to contact police
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Hide AdAnyone with any information is asked to contact us via our social media desk @MerPolCC or ‘Merseyside Police Contact Centre’ on Facebook, with reference 22000196837.
Alternatively, you can call the independent charity @CrimestoppersUK anonymously, on 0800 555 111. You can also use their online form at: https://crimestoppers-uk.org/give-information/give-information.