List of fatal dog attacks in the United Kingdom
Updated: 5/20/2026, 8:08:46 PM Wikipedia source
Fatal dog attacks in the United Kingdom are usually measured in single figures per year. A 2021 study of fatal dog attacks in Europe during the period 1995–2016 placed the United Kingdom (with 56 fatalities) as fourth in the top five countries for number of human fatalities alongside Hungary ( ), France ( ), Romania ( ), and Poland ( ). The study also found that fatal dog attacks have been increasing significantly over time which was not attributable to the increase in the number of dogs, and stated "The numbers of fatalities are indeed a very small tip of the 'dog attack iceberg', and the number of dog attacks that lead to hospitalisations of the victim outnumber fatalities by several orders of magnitude." Some fatalities and serious attacks have been followed by calls to increase dog regulations. There was a push to limit the number and gross weight of dogs that a dog walker could legally handle at one time after dog walker Natasha Johnston lost control of her eight dogs in 2023, resulting in a witness being bitten, spooking a horse causing the equestrian to fall, and Johnston's mauling death. An increasing number of serious dog attacks (both fatal and non-fatal) was the catalyst for the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991, which led to four breeds being banned: Pitbull, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino and Fila Brasileiro. Between 2021-23, around half of fatal dog attacks were caused by a single breed, the American Bully XL, and in December 2023, they were the first breed to be added to the legislation since 1991, making it illegal in England and Wales to sell, breed, abandon, or give away a Bully XL, to possess one without a Certificate of Exemption, or to have one in public without a lead and muzzle. Below is a list of human deaths caused by dogs reported by the news media, published in scholarly papers, or mentioned through other sources. In the lists below, the dog type or breed is assigned by the sources. For more information on causes of death and studies related to dog bite-related fatalities, see Fatal dog attacks.
Tables
| Date | Victim's name | Victim's age | Victim's gender | Dog type (number) | Location | Circumstances |
| September 1662 | A child of a former nurse to a daughter of William Batten | Unknown | Unknown (2) | Walthamstow, London, England | The child was torn to pieces by two dogs. | |
| 1737 | James Brooks | Male | Unknown (1) | London, England | Brooks was bitten by a rabid dog and died. | |
| 1750 | Charles Godman | Male | Unknown (1) | London, England | Godman was bitten by a rabid dog and later died. | |
| 1773 | Unknown | Male | Unknown (1) | Bromley-by-Bow, London, England | A servant died from rabies caused by the bite of a rabid dog. He was sent to the salt water, but to no effect. | |
| July 1822 | Samuel Butcher | Male | Unknown (1) | Mile End, London, England | Butcher habitually made his dog attack and kill cats for the amusement of himself and others. On the last occasion, he beat the dog after it failed to do this; the dog turned on Butcher and injured him so severely that he died in hospital a few days later. The dog was killed at the scene by an onlooker, who cut its throat to end the attack. | |
| 24 October 1827 | James Cordingley | Male | Mastiff × bulldog mix (1), Unknown (1) | Little Horton, West Yorkshire, England | Cordingley, a skinner, was discovered in the early morning by passers-by in the yard of his house with serious injuries to his arm and throat; he died soon after. He had been attacked by his two watchdogs, but the exact circumstances are unknown. It was speculated the dogs attacked him after he came home drunk, late the previous night. Both dogs we | |
| 8 April 1837 | Ann Banks | Female | Mastiff × Bloodhound | Meols, Cheshire, England | Banks was killed by a watchdog owned by a relative while taking it for a walk by the seashore with the relative's two children; the children escaped unharmed. The dog was later shot. | |
| c. January 1854 | Ann Edwards | Female | Unknown (1) | Liverpool, England | Edwards, an elderly woman, was killed by a dog owned by her landlady, Elizabeth Jackson. Jackson attempted to conceal the death, but the victim was missed and her body was found in the house by police. | |
| March 1892 | Abigail McDonald | Female | Unknown (4) | Ballynahinch, County Down, Northern Ireland | McDonald received fatal injuries while trying to separate four of her dogs which were fighting. The dogs were later put down. | |
| 13 August 1896 | Christopher Ellsworth | 49 | Male | St Bernard (1) | Egremont, Cheshire, England | Ellsworth was attacked by his dog in his backyard. It bit his leg and refused to let go, despite the victim's daughter beating the dog with a whip. He was admitted to the hospital and died on the 17th. |
| 5 November 1911 | Harry Riley Hargreaves | 17 | Male | Several Mastiffs | Craggs Street, Middlesbrough, England | Hargreaves, who had an outstanding warrant for larceny, trespassed on an enclosed marine supply yard at night and was attacked by the guard dogs. The owner was charged under Section 2 of the Dogs Act 1871 but it was determined in court that the dogs were kept under proper control as they were behind a 13 ft (4 m) wall and the charge was dismissed |
| 1934 | Julia Tarpey | 5 weeks | Female | Fox Terrier | Eccles, Greater Manchester, England | Tarpey was left in a pram in the garden. The neighbour's family pet, "a friend of the children", was later seen sitting on the pram, and the baby was found to have been bitten about the head. |
| 1935 | Luhanna Elizabeth Bradley | 83 | Female | Oxford Street, Southsea, England | A dog playfully jumped against Bradley, knocking her down and breaking her leg. She then contracted pneumonia and died. | |
| 1935 | George William Smith | 3 | Male | Six Great Danes | Hanley, England | The dogs were seen mauling Smith and carrying him about in their mouths. A reason for the attack was not determined. |
| 1935 | Anne Enid Ward | 11 months | Female | St Bernard | Chandler's Ford, Hampshire, England | While eating lunch at a table, Ward's father was throwing scraps to the dog that was sitting below, when it suddenly bit the infant, who was crawling nearby, puncturing her head. |
| 4 June 1947 17 June 1947 † | Janet Bennett | 43 | Female | Edinburgh, Scotland | A large black and white dog jumped up and pushed Bennett over, causing her spinal injuries. She died from her injuries two weeks later in Edinburgh Royal Infirmary. |
| Date | Victim's name | Victim's age | Victim's gender | Dog type (Number) | Location | Circumstances |
| 4 June 1981 | Michek Cecil Franciss | 1 | Male | German Shepherd (7) | Harlesden, London, England | Francis was in the garden of his grandparents' home where he was attacked by dogs owned by his uncle. The subsequent inquest was told the dogs were in poor condition and had been kept in a confined space. A verdict of accidental death was recorded. |
| 9 December 1986 | Amy Victoria Bourne | 5 days | Female | Jack Russell Terrier (1) | London, England | Bourne was found dead in her carrycot with skull perforations and fractures caused by dog bites. |
| 14 April 1989 | Kellie Lynch | 11 | Female | Rottweiler (2) | Argyll, Scotland | While on holiday, Lynch was mauled by two prize-winning Rottweilers. The victim was walking the dogs with a friend when the attack took place, as they had done several times before. The victim's friend, Lorraine Simpson, who was twelve years old, tried to save her life, but to no avail. The dogs had never shown any signs of aggression before the at |
| 18 February 1991 | William Roach | 38 | Male | German Shepherd (1) | Rusholme, Manchester, England | Roach was savaged to death by his pet dog as his wife tried to rescue him. |
| November 1991 | David Parry | 9 | Male | Great Dane (1), German Shepherd (1), Lakeland Terrier (1) | Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire, England | Parry was killed by his family's three pet dogs in the garden of the family's pub. The three dogs were subsequently put down at the request of the father. |
| 21 November 1993 | Dean Parker | 7 | Male | Pit bull mix (1) | Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, England | The dog, being walked by two unsupervised boys, aged seven and ten, broke free of its lead and leapt at a snowman being built by Parker and his friend, Edward Davies, who was eight years old. The dog then attacked Parker, biting through his jugular vein. He died from the injuries inflicted to his neck. When attacked, Parker screamed and struggled i |
| 22 December 1994 | Ashley Wilson | 1 month | Female | Bull terrier (1) | Preston, Lancashire, England | A dog attack just before Christmas; Wilson had been lying in a bouncing chair by her mother's feet when the dog, named Dodger, suddenly grabbed the baby by the head. Despite being taken to the Royal Preston Hospital, the victim died two hours later from brain injuries. The dog was put down at the request of the family. |
| 23 December 1995 | David Kearney | 11 | Male | Rottweiler (2 or 3) | Darwen, Lancashire, England | Kearney was attacked two days before Christmas after climbing a fence to fetch his football. The boy was so badly mutilated, that his mother did not recognise him. He died two weeks after hospital admission and having a leg amputated to prevent gangrene. Two dogs involved in the attack, named Sam and Jet, were put down at the owner's request; he ke |
| 12 July 1996 | Margaret Crisp | 76 | Female | Bull Terrier | Mead Road, Leckhampton, England | Crisp was attacked in the garden of her home by her grandson's dog, which broke her neck, and was later shot dead by police at the scene. No prosecution took place because the dog was determined not to be a banned breed. |
| Date | Victim's name | Victim's age | Victim's gender | Dog type (Number) | Location | Circumstances |
| 7 November 2000 | Kirsty Ross | 25 | Female | Doberman (1) | Helston, Cornwall, England | Ross had had an epileptic seizure and her dog, named Frentzen, attempted to pick her up by the scruff of the neck as a mother dog would lift a puppy. There was no evidence of a 'savaging' of the victim, and the victim's 22-month-old daughter was in the same room unharmed. The dog was euthanised. |
| 16 May 2003 | George Dinham | 45 | Male | Staffordshire Bull Terrier (1) | London, England | Dinham was found dead at home, mauled to death by his dog, Ben, possibly after an epileptic seizure. Neighbours claimed the same dog attacked a child a few months before, though it was suggested that the dog might have merely jumped at the girl, and the scratches sustained were from falling over. The victim and dog were said to be inseparable, and |
| 11 July 2005 | Liam Eames | 1 | Male | American Bulldog (1) | Leeds, West Yorkshire, England | The family's two dogs were normally kept outside, but Liam's father, Christopher (who was at work at the time of the attack), had let them in because it was hot outside. Liam's mother, Jacqueline, was sitting with him on the floor when he crawled towards the dog and it attacked him. Jacqueline was unable to free the baby and the dog only let go onc |
| 24 September 2006 | Cadey-Lee Deacon | 5 months | Female | Rottweiler (2) | Leicester, East Midlands, England | Deacon was attacked when her mother and her partner were moving furniture in the living quarters of a pub. The two guard dogs, which were usually kept in a kennel on the pub's roof, entered through a fire escape door that was left open for 15 minutes and took the unsupervised baby from her Moses basket out onto the roof, where they mauled her. The |
| 1 January 2007 | Ellie Lawrenson | 5 | Female | American Pit Bull Terrier (1) | St Helens, Merseyside, England | Lawrenson's grandmother, after smoking ten cannabis joints and drinking two bottles of white wine mixed with lemonade, let the 75 lb (34 kg) dog inside the house where it attacked and killed the girl. The victim received 72 separate injuries, mostly to her head and neck, and the floor was "awash with blood" when police arrived. The dog was shot dea |
| 28 December 2007 | Archie-Lee Hirst | 1 | Male | Rottweiler (1) | Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England | Hirst was being carried by his aunt, who was seven years old, when the dog attacked, wrenching the toddler from her arms. He was dragged into the garden of his grandparents' house and mauled. Although Hirst's other aunt, who was 16, attempted to fight off the dog, the victim was 'savaged to death'. Both of the victim's parents were at a neighbour's |
| 27 January 2008 | James Rehill | 78 | Male | Rottweiler (1) | Newham, London, England | Rehill was taking his dog for its morning walk when he fell over in the street. At first, the dog licked and pawed its owner. Subsequent events, and Rehill's cause of death, are disputed. Initial media reports, based on eyewitness accounts, asserted that the dog attacked, tearing chunks of flesh from his face, and that this was what caused Rehill's |
| 20 January 2009 4 February 2009 † | Stephen Hudspeth | 33 | Male | Staffordshire Bull Terrier (1) | Bishop Auckland, County Durham, England | Hudspeth was bitten on the elbow while walking to work and later died from septicaemia. |
| 8 February 2009 | Jaden Joseph Mack | 3 months | Male | Staffordshire Bull Terrier (1), Jack Russell Terrier (1) | Ystrad Mynach, Caerphilly, Wales | The two dogs dragged three-and-a-half-month-old Mack off a table while his grandmother was taking a nap, and attacked him. The grandmother discovered the dead baby and was shrieking, drawing attention from a neighbour who came over to see what was going on. The neighbour said the baby had severe injuries to his neck and was dead. Both dogs were sai |
| 1 May 2009 | Andrew Walker | 21 | Male | German Shepherd (2) | Blackpool, Lancashire, England | Walker was one of two men who were trying to separate two dogs that were fighting in their backyard. Both dogs turned on the victim, who received 51 bites in the attack and lost four pints of blood. The dogs were euthanised at the request of the owner, who was known to have owned dangerous dogs before. His previous Rottweilers had attacked a woman |
| 18 June 2009 21 September 2009 † | Damian Holden | 35 | Male | Weimaraner (1) | Wales | While Holden was trying to put up a tent during a camping holiday with his wife and son in Wales, his dog, Eric, nipped his hand. (The coroner would later rule that the nip had no "malicious intent" behind it.) Holden developed sepsis as a result of a virus in the dog's saliva, suffered multiple organ failures, had his feet amputated, and finally d |
| 30 November 2009 | Jon Paul Massey | 4 | Male | Pit bull type (1) | Liverpool, England | Massey was attacked at home by a large dog. His grandmother tried to protect him, sustaining injuries herself. The dog, named Uno, was shot in the front garden by responding police. It had been reported that they were breeding dogs at the house. Christian Foulkes, the victim's uncle and the dog's owner, pleaded guilty to three counts under the Dang |
| Date | Victim's name | Victim's age | Victim's gender | Dog type (Number) | Location | Circumstances |
| 17 April 2010 | Zumer Ahmed | 1 | Female | American Bulldog (1) | Crawley, West Sussex, England | 18-month-old Ahmed was mauled by her uncle's dog, named Game, who came in from the backyard. The girl's grandmother, Naseem, who was present, was not strong enough to remove the dog. Two workmen at the house next door pulled Ahmed and the dog apart, but the toddler died in hospital from her injuries. Urfan Ahmed, the victim's uncle and the dog's ow |
| 16 August 2010 18 August 2010 † | Lesley Banks | 51 | Female | Rottweiler (1) | Bridgnorth, Shropshire, England | Banks was bitten by her dog, Brannigan, while loading him into a car, and refused to seek medical treatment for the bite out of fear that Brannigan, who had previously saved her life by waking her during a fire, would be put down as a result. She developed septicaemia and died two days after the bite. The dog was put down. |
| 23 December 2010 | Barbara Williams | 52 | Female | Neapolitan Mastiff (1) | Wallington, Sutton, England | Williams was attacked and killed by her partner's mastiff, suffering multiple injuries and a severe haemorrhage to her head and neck. The dog, named Debo, was shot dead by police marksmen, and a pit bull puppy named Ruby (a banned dog) was seized and later euthanised. Alex Blackburn-Smith, a former Army paratrooper and the dogs' owner, was ordered |
| 23 January 2012 29 January 2012 † | Leslie Trotman | 83 | Male | Pit bull type (1) | Brentford, West London, England | Trotman was attacked in his garden by his neighbour's escaped dog, suffering bite wounds and injuries from being knocked over. He died six days later from a ruptured spleen. The dog's owner was arrested on suspicion of manslaughter and three dogs were seized. |
| February 2012 | Gary Dickinson | 57 | Male | Terrier | Sturry, Kent, England | Dickinson was nipped by his terrier and the wound became infected. When Dickinson's partner first took him to hospital for treatment, the on-call GP at Kent and Canterbury Hospital misdiagnosed his symptoms as food poisoning and sent him home. Dickinson later suffered septic shock due to the infection and died three days after the bite. The dog was |
| 30 October 2012 | Gloria Knowles | 71 | Female | Bordeaux Bulldog (2), American Bulldog (2), Mongrel (1) | Morden, South London, England | Knowles was attacked and killed by her daughter's dogs when she went to feed them. Police seized five dogs: two Bordeaux Bulldogs, two American Bulldogs, and a mongrel. |
| 20 November 2012 | Harry Harper | 8 days | Male | Jack Russell Terrier cross (1) | Telford, Shropshire, England | Harper was attacked in his carrycot by the smaller of the family's two pet dogs. The dog, named PJ, which neighbours described as "small but vicious", was put down. |
| 26 March 2013 | Jade Lomas-Anderson | 14 | Female | Staffordshire Bull Terrier (2), Bullmastiff (2) | Atherton, Greater Manchester, England | Lomas-Anderson was visiting a friend's house. Her friend briefly left, leaving Lomas-Anderson alone in the house, when four of her friend's five dogs attacked her. The dogs, Buddy, Neo, Ty and Sky, were shot dead by police. Their owner was given a 16-week suspended prison sentence for animal cruelty. |
| 25 May 2013 | Clifford Clarke | 79 | Male | Presa Canario x Bull Mastiff (1) | Liverpool, England | Clarke was attacked in his garden. He was dragged around and had one arm chewed off at the elbow. The 70 lb dog, which had not been fed for roughly 48 hours before the attack, was so aggressive it bit at the end of the officer's gun; it was shot twice and killed. The dog's owners were charged under the Dangerous Dogs Act, were both jailed for a yea |
| 5 November 2013 | Lexi Branson | 4 | Female | Bulldog type or Aylestone Bulldog (1) | Mountsorrel, Leicestershire, England | Branson was home from school, sick, when the dog, named Mulan, attacked her, going straight for her throat. The child's mother repeatedly stabbed the dog with a kitchen knife. A post-mortem revealed Branson died from facial injuries and the dog preventing the girl from breathing. The family got the dog from a rescue centre two months prior; it was |
| 9 December 2013 | Emma Bennett | 27 | Female | Pit bull (2) | Osmondthorpe, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England | Bennett, a pregnant mother-of-four, died after she was attacked by two dogs, named Bella and Dollar, at her home in Leeds. She died the next day. Lee Horner, the victim's partner and owner of the dogs, pleaded guilty to owning dogs prohibited by the Dangerous Dogs Act and was ordered at Leeds Magistrates' Court to complete 280 hours of unpaid commu |
| 7 January 2014 | Barry Walsh | 46 | Male | Staffordshire Bull Terrier (1) | Westcliffe-on-Sea, Essex, England | Walsh was mauled by his girlfriend's dog, Gypsy, after a domestic incident. The "highly protective" dog bit him 42 times, broke five of his ribs, and ruptured his spleen. The circumstances were unclear; Walsh's girlfriend alleged he slapped her and picked up and threatened Gypsy, but she changed elements of her story during the investigation and ag |
| 11 February 2014 | Ava-Jayne Corless | 11 months | Female | Pit bull (1) | Blackburn, Lancashire, England | Corless was attacked and killed by a 126 lb dog as her mother lay sleeping with her boyfriend, the dog's owner. The dog was determined to be a pit bull terrier by experts and a veterinary surgeon and was put down after the attack. Lee Wright was jailed for 18 weeks and prohibited from owning dogs for five years after he was found guilty of owning a |
| 18 February 2014 | Eliza-Mae Mullane | 6 days | Female | Alaskan Malamute (1) | Pontyberem, Carmarthenshire, Wales | Mullane's mother left the sleeping baby in her pram inside the house while she stepped out to put her son in a taxi for school. One of the family's two pet dogs had entered the room and the baby was on the floor. The dog involved in the attack, an Alaskan Malamute, was seized and put down; the other dog, a collie-cross, was also euthanised. |
| 16 July 2014 | Irene Collins | 73 | Female | German Shepherd (1) | Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, England | Collins was repeatedly bitten when police let loose a 98 lb (44 kg) police dog to locate a suspected drug dealer on the run. She suffered multiple bites and a broken arm from falling during the attack. She had lung cancer and emphysema and died four days after the attack. The pathologist said her death was hastened by the bites. The dog, which had |
| 20 September 2014 | Andrew Russell | 90 | Male | American Bulldog (1) | West Calder, Scotland | Russell, a pensioner with a zimmerframe, stepped in to protect his wife after an American Bulldog pounced on her. The dog turned on him and ripped the flesh from his arm, exposing bone, before bystanders came to his aid. He initially made good progress in hospital, but later deteriorated and died a month after the attack. The inquest found no clear |
| 20 July 2014 | Louise Caygill | 43 | Female | Staffordshire Bull Terrier (1) | Liverpool, England | Caygill was found in her flat, dead from multiple dog bites. The dog, which had bitten and injured her arm on a previous occasion as well as biting and hospitalising another man, was seized and put down. A neighbour overheard her shouting at her dog to get down and let go of her, but did not intervene because this was a common occurrence. |
| 3 October 2014 | Molly-Mae Wotherspoon | 6 months | Female | American Pit Bull Terrier (1) | Daventry, Northamptonshire, England | Wotherspoon was attacked when the family's pit bull terrier (banned under the Dangerous Dogs Act) broke free from its cage. The infant had injuries to all four limbs and puncture wounds to her brain. The dog, named Bruiser, was put down at the scene. The victim's mother and grandmother were both sentenced to two years in prison and prohibited from |
| 20 March 2015 | Rhona Greve | 64 | Female | American Bulldog (1) | Ely, Cardiff, Wales | Greve, who had heart disease, suffered cardiac arrest and died after being bitten on the face and neck by her grandson's dog, named Solo. Craig Greve was already banned from owning dogs due to a previous incident, and was sentenced to four months in prison. A 17-year-old boy was also arrested in connection with the death and was released on police |
| 20 June 2015 | Reggie Young | 3 weeks | Male | Lakeland Terrier cross (1) | Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, England | While Reggie's father was asleep, three-week-old Reggie either fell or was dragged from his bouncer and was mauled by the terrier, named Tricky. He was found alive in a pool of blood by his mother when she returned home, but could not be saved. Ryan Young, Reggie's father, pleaded guilty at Newcastle Crown Court to being in charge of a dangerous do |
| 9 October 2015 16 October 2015 † | William George | 68 | Male | Pit bull type (1) | Dorset, England | George contracted sepsis when he was bitten on the left hand as he tried to save his Springer Spaniel from the pit bull-type dog, named Rocco. Four days after the incident, the victim visited his GP, who gave him a tetanus boost and antibiotics, but his health worsened, and he was rushed to hospital the next day. By that time, George was 'beyond he |
| 12 November 2015 18 November 2015 † | Ken McCall | 84 | Male | English Springer Spaniel (1) | Winchester, Hampshire, England | McCall, a retired carpenter, was playing tug-of-war with his 16-month-old Springer Spaniel when she accidentally bit the back of his hand. McCall became unwell the following day and sought treatment at the out-of-hours service where he got antibiotics prescribed. Upon returning home, his symptoms worsened and he was admitted to hospital on November |
| 1 January 2016 | Liam Hewitson | 22 | Male | Pit bull cross (1) | Preston, Lancashire, England | The dog attacked while Hewitson was having an epileptic seizure, injuring his trachea. His father kicked, hit, and stabbed the dog trying to loosen its hold. Paramedics were unable to save Hewitson. The five-year-old family dog (named Trigger, and said to not be a banned breed but described as a pit bull cross) had twice before attacked the victim |
| 22 May 2016 | Stephen Hodgson | 45 | Male | Staffordshire x Pit bull cross (1) | Cleator Moor, Cumbria, England | Hodgson, who had consumed a large amount of alcohol and collapsed at home, was passed out on a bed when his dog, named Buster, entered the room, grabbed him by the back of the neck, dragged him to the floor, and mauled him about the neck. He had twice before been bitten by the same dog, leading to hospital treatment for a bite to his forearm. The d |
| 15 August 2016 | David Ellam | 52 | Male | Staffordshire Bull Terrier cross (1) | Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England | Ellam and his Yorkshire Terrier, Rolo, were attacked when his neighbour's dog, named Alex, got out of its pen. Two months prior, Ellam reported the dog to the council, fearing it was a pit bull terrier and might attack. Police seized the dog but returned it to its owner a week before the fatal attack after deciding it was not a banned breed per the |
| 18 August 2016 | Dexter Neal | 3 | Male | American Bulldog Mastiff-Bulldog (1) | Halstead, Essex, England | Neal was pushed to the ground by the rescue dog and attacked. He died on the way to the hospital. Jade Dunne, the dog's owner, pleaded guilty to owning a dangerously out of control dog causing injury resulting in death, was sentenced to a year in prison, suspended for two years, banned from owning dogs for ten years, and ordered to carry out 100 ho |
| 13 October 2016 | Archie Joe Darby | 4 months | Male | Staffordshire Bull Terrier (1) | Colchester, Essex, England | Darby's mother was with her two sons and talking to someone on the phone when the dog attacked the children. The mother knew that her younger child was already dead and tried to save her older child, Daniel-Jay, who was 22 months old. The mother was able to get the dog out into the conservatory and barricade the door. Bailey, the dog owned by her s |
| 20 March 2017 | Mario Perivoitos | 41 | Male | Staffordshire Bull Terrier (1) | North London, England | Perivoitos, who worked in IT, was attacked and killed by his dog while taking part in a BBC documentary on drugs, after having an epileptic seizure. The victim suffered injuries to his face and neck, extensive haemorrahaging, and his larynx was crushed. The film crew at Perivoitos's home, who were present but not filming, attempted to fight off the |
| 25 June 2017 11 July 2017 † | Derek Luckie | 73 | Male | Staffordshire Bull Terrier (1) | Walton-on-the-Naze, Essex, England | Luckie was nipped on the leg and wounded during his daily walk, contracted sepsis, went to hospital two days later, and died on July 11. The dog was a rescue dog that had never previously displayed signs of aggression. The dog's owner turned themselves in to police, the dog was euthanised, and the owner was given a six month suspended prison senten |
| 15 October 2017 | Ryan Busa | 10 | Male | German Shepherd (1) | Newtownabbey, County Antrim, Northern Ireland | Busa was attacked and killed by his family's pet dog. |
| 18 November 2018 13 December 2018 † | Reuben McNulty | 2 months | Male | Staffordshire Bull Terrier (2) | Yaxley, Cambridgeshire, England | McNulty was attacked at home on 18 November by his parents' two dogs, Fizzy and Dotty, suffering horrific injuries. He died in hospital weeks later. Both dogs were euthanised. |
| 13 April 2019 | Frankie MacRitchie | 10 | Male | Bulldog cross or American Bulldog x Staffordshire Bull Terrier cross | Cornwall, England | MacRitchie was attacked and killed when he was left alone with the dog, named Winston, in a caravan at a holiday park. The child's mother and the dog's owner had both left the caravan to drink. The dog's owner was arrested on suspicion of manslaughter and having a dog dangerously out of control. The blood-soaked woman had left the area by begging f |
| 31 May 2019 7 June 2019 † | Sharon Jennings | 55 | Female | Unknown (1) | Preston, Lancashire, England | Jennings was bitten on the hand and neck when she broke up a fight between her dog and another dog during a walk on 31 May. She was taken to hospital on 3 June and died four days later from sepsis. The other dog was identified and seized, and its owner was arrested "on suspicion of offences under the Dangerous Dogs Act", but these charges were drop |
| 24 September 2019 | Elayne Stanley | 44 | Female | American Bulldog (2) | Widnes, Cheshire, England | Stanley was pounced on and mauled by her two dogs, named DJ and Billy. The victim, who weighed eight stone, was unable to fight them off. Neighbours were alerted by screams from the victim's twin daughters. The neighbours forced their way into the victim's house and attempted to distract the dogs by throwing bricks and tools at them. Police shot an |
| Date | Victim's name | Victim's age | Victim's gender | Dog type (Number) | Location | Circumstances |
| 29 January 2020 | Jonathan Halstead | 35 | Male | Staffordshire Bull Terrier x Mastiff cross (1) | Oldham, Greater Manchester, England | The coroner recorded a narrative conclusion that Halstead 'died as a result of injuries sustained in an attack from his dog, whilst unconscious following an epileptic seizure'. His cause of death was recorded as a severe neck injury as a result of dog bites and epilepsy. The dog, named Bronson, was shot dead by police so that medics could attend to |
| 13 September 2020 | Elon Jase Ellis-Joynes | 12 days | Male | Chow Chow x German Shepherd cross (1) | Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England | Joynes was mauled to death by his family's pet dog at home. He suffered between 30 and 40 puncture wounds and later died in hospital, while the dog, named Teddy, was put down. A post-mortem report found the infant died as a result of severe trauma to his chest and abdomen with injuries "typical of having been repeatedly bitten by a dog". Stephen Jo |
| 5 February 2021 | Keira Ladlow | 21 | Female | Staffordshire Bull Terrier cross (1) | Birmingham, West Midlands, England | Ladlow died after being attacked by a dog her brother bought to improve her mental health. A post-mortem examination revealed "extensive injuries" the court heard, which likely caused her death. The dog, named Gucci, was put down. |
| 2 April 2021 | Lucille Downer | 85 | Female | American Bulldog (2) | Rowley Regis, West Midlands, England | Downer, a retired cook, was attacked in her back garden after the dogs escaped from a neighbour's garden through a hole in a fence. Darren Pritchard pleaded guilty to an offence under the Dangerous Dogs Act at Wolverhampton Crown Court in April 2023. |
| 8 November 2021 | Jack Lis | 10 | Male | American Bully XL (1) | Caerphilly, Gwent, Wales | Lis died after being bitten on the face and neck by a "large and powerful" dog while visiting a school friend's house. The dog, named Beast, was put down by firearms officers. The dog's owner, Brandon Hayden, was sentenced in June 2022 to just over four years at a young offenders' institution, and Amy Salter was jailed for three years after they pl |
| 22 December 2021 | Adam Watts | 55 | Male | American Bully XL (1) | Auchterhouse, Scotland | Watts was attacked at the Juniper Kennels and Cattery he owned and was pronounced dead at the scene. The dog involved had been put into the care of Mr Watts' kennels by police after being seized under warrant in August. The dog's previous owner, Peter Fyfe, was banned from keeping animals for five years over previous incidents involving the dog att |
| 10 January 2022 | John William Jones | 68 | Male | English Bulldog (3) | Lampeter, Ceredigion, Wales | Jones, who had Down syndrome, was bitten by three dogs at a house and consequently died at the scene from his injuries, as recorded by the Ceredigion Coroner's Office. A woman was subsequently arrested in connection with the attack. |
| 6 March 2022 | Kyra Leanne King | 3 months | Female | Husky (1) | Woodhall Spa, Lincolnshire, England | King was killed after an attack at Ostler's Plantation, an area popular with dog walkers. The dog, named Blizzard, was one of 19 huskies being exercised by her parents. The victim's mother, Karen Alcock, pleaded guilty to being in charge of a dog that was out of control causing injury and resulting in death, while her father, Vince King, initially |
| 21 March 2022 | Bella-Rae Birch | 1 | Female | American Bully XL (1) | St Helens, Merseyside, England | 17-month-old Birch was attacked at home by a dog that her family had owned for only a week. Merseyside Police announced tests have confirmed that the dog involved was an American Bully XL. |
| 28 March 2022 | Lawson Bond | 2 | Male | Rottweiler (1 to 3) | Egdon, Worcestershire, England | Bond suffered serious injuries and was in cardiac arrest following an attack at his grandmother's home. The grandmother, Maria Bond, was an unlicensed Rottweiler breeder who left the toddler briefly unsupervised, during which time, he let himself into a field housing three dogs and was attacked. The three rottweilers that were removed from the prop |
| 15 May 2022 | Daniel John Twigg | 3 | Male | Cane Corso (1) | Milnrow, Rochdale, England | Police were called by paramedics after Twigg was injured in the attack. He was rushed to hospital but died from his injuries. His parents were later charged with gross negligence manslaughter. |
| 23 May 2022 | Keven Jones | 62 | Male | American Bully XL (1) | Wrexham, Wales | Jones died after being bitten by his daughter-in-law's dog, Cookie, and went into cardiac arrest. He was pronounced dead at the scene, despite efforts to rescue him. Chanel Fong pleaded not guilty to owning a dog dangerously out of control. |
| 15 June 2022 | Joanne Robinson | 43 | Female | American Bully XL or Cane Corso (1) | Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England | Robinson was mauled by her dog, named Rocco, at home, and died of severe blood loss from neck wounds. The dog had been bought by the victim and her boyfriend as a companion for their other dog, Lola, who was of a similar breed. Jamie Stead, Robinson's partner, suffered devastating injuries to his face, hands and chest as he tried to pull the dog of |
| 10 August 2022 | Ian "Wiggy" Symes | 34 | Male | American Bully XL (1) | Fareham, Hampshire, England | The 52 kg dog had been purchased the day before from a travellers' site by Symes's friend, after seeing a video on Snapchat. Immediately prior to the attack, the victim took the dog, named Kong, out for a walk, and was observed engaging in rough play with the dog, winding it up and putting it into a headlock, which caused the dog to become aggressi |
| 3 October 2022 | Ann Dunn | 65 | Female | American Bulldog (1 to 5) | Vauxhall, Liverpool, England | Dunn died after being attacked by multiple dogs. Emergency services pronounced her dead at the scene. Five dogs who lived at the property were surrendered to the authorities and put down. |
| 17 November 2022 | Joseph James | 89 | Male | Patterdale Terrier (1) | Workington, Cumbria, England | James died after developing a blood infection linked to being bitten on the little finger by his neighbour's Patterdale terrier, named Annie. He lost the tip of the finger on his left hand when he was pulled to the ground by the animal outside his home. |
| 3 December 2022 20 December 2022 † | Shirley Patrick | 83 | Female | American Bully XL x Cane Corso cross (1) | Caerphilly, South Wales | Patrick, a retired nurse, died from her injuries 17 days after being attacked by a dog. She had dementia, and her cause of death was given as sepsis, pneumonia, infected scalp wounds, and traumatic lacerations secondary to a dog attack. The dog, named Bagheera, was seized by police and put down. |
| 12 January 2023 | Natasha Johnston | 28 | Female | American Bully XL (1 to 8) | Caterham, Surrey, England | Officers were called to reports of a dog/s attacking members of the public at Gravelly Hill. Johnston, a dog walker, died at the scene, and a second woman was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Eight dogs were seized by the police. |
| 31 January 2023 | Alice Stones | 4 | Female | Unknown (1) | Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England | Stones was attacked in the back garden of her house by a dog her family had acquired a few weeks earlier. The "large, brown" dog was put down at the scene. It was confirmed not to be a banned breed. |
| 22 April 2023 | Wayne Stevens | 51 | Male | Cane Corso cross (1) | Derby, England | Stevens died at the scene of the incident. The victim's brother subsequently pleaded guilty to being in charge of a dog dangerously out of control causing injury resulting in death. It was reported at sentencing that the 14-month-old dog had a history of aggressive behaviour, targeting the head and neck. Gary Stevens was jailed for four-and-a-half |
| 19 May 2023 | Jonathan Hogg | 37 | Male | American Bully XL (1) | Leigh, Greater Manchester, England | Hogg was found with serious injuries and was transferred to hospital, but died shortly afterwards. A 24-year-old man was bailed, after being arrested on suspicion of being in charge of a dangerously out of control dog. |
| 2 June 2023 | Unknown | 75 | Female | Unknown (1) | Bedworth, Warwickshire, England | A grandmother died after being attacked by her family's pet dog. Anita Atwal was charged with being in charge of a dog dangerously out of control causing injury resulting in death, and the dog - reported not to be a banned breed - was put down. |
| 3 September 2023 | Marie Stevens | 40 | Female | Rottweiler (2) | Brighton-le-Sands, Merseyside, England | Stevens, a care worker, was bitten on the legs and arms by two dogs. She was treated for the wounds in hospital and later discharged. Two weeks later, she collapsed and died of a pulmonary embolism. Brian and Rachel Walshe were charged with being in charge of a dog dangerously out of control causing injury resulting in death. The dogs involved in t |
| 14 September 2023 | Ian Price | 52 | Male | American Bully XL (2) | Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England | Two dogs jumped from the window of their home into the garden of a neighbour. The neighbour's son sustained multiple life-threatening injuries and later died in hospital. A 30-year-old man was initially arrested on suspicion of being in charge of dogs dangerously out of control causing injury. He was re-arrested on suspicion of manslaughter and rel |
| 4 October 2023 | Ian Langley | 54 | Male | American Bully XL (1) | Houghton-le-Spring, Tyne and Wear, England | Langley was walking his Patterdale Terrier puppy when he was attacked by an XL Bully. He suffered injuries to his throat and later died in hospital. A man was arrested on suspicion of murder. The dog was put down at the scene and a second dog was also seized. Neighbour Christopher Bell later pleaded guilty to being the owner of a dog which caused i |
| 25 November 2023 | Antony 'Tony' Harrington | 77 | Male | Multiple, including his friend's Bernese Mountain Dog | Meriden, Warwickshire, England | Harrington, a retired vet, was found dead in his garden. It was initially unclear if the dogs' bites were the cause of death or happened after he died of natural causes, but they were later determined to be the cause of death. The dogs were seized at the scene, and a 75-year-old woman was arrested in April 2024 and bailed until June. His own Black |
| 3 February 2024 | Esther Martin | 68 | Female | American Bully XL (2) | Jaywick, Essex, England | Martin tried to stop puppies from fighting and was attacked by two adult dogs named Bear and Beauty. Her grandson, who was eleven years old, was present during the attack and called for help. Her injuries were described as non-survivable, and the dogs were shot by first responders. Ashley Warren, an amateur rapper and the father of her grandson, wa |
| 20 May 2024 | Angeline Mahal | 50s | Female | American Bully XL (2) | Hornchurch, London, England | Mahal was attacked by her son's two XL Bullies and died at the scene. The dogs were seized. The victim's son has since been charged with two counts of allowing a dog to suffer and one count of owning a fighting dog. |
| 16 June 2024 | Elle Doherty | 7 months | Female | Belgian Shepherd of the variety Malinois (1) | Coventry, West Midlands, England | Doherty suffered serious head injuries and died after being bitten by her family's pet dog at home. The dog was put down. |
| 22 July 2024 | Kelly Reilly | 33 | Female | American Bulldog (1) | Coventry, West Midlands, England | Reilly was attacked by a pet dog in a property on Wexford Road, where paramedics found her in critical condition. They evacuated her to safety with police help and attempted to save her life, but she died at the scene shortly afterwards. Kelly was epileptic and her family believe the dog being spooked by a seizure led to the attack. |
| 29 July 2024 30 July 2024 † | Michelle Hempstead | 34 | Female | Bullmastiff (1) | Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England | Hempstead suffered serious injuries from being bitten by one of her dogs, was taken by ambulance to the Royal London Hospital, and died the following day. Both of the woman's dogs - a Pomeranian and a Bullmastiff - were seized by police; it was reported that both were to be put down. |
| 20 August 2024 | David Daintree | 53 | Male | American Bully XL (1) | Accrington, Lancashire, England | Daintree was killed by his own XL Bully at home. Police were called to the scene by the ambulance service but Daintree was dead when they arrived. As the dog remained a threat, police shot it dead at the scene. |
| 21 August 2024 | Nicholas Glass | 32 | Male | American Bully XL (2), Undisclosed (2) | Rubery, Birmingham, England | Glass was found dead with injuries consistent of a dog attack. Two dogs were seized by police at the scene and two escaped dogs were captured two days later. The post-mortem revealed the victim died from injuries caused by the dog attack. Which dog(s) caused his injuries has not yet been made public. |
| 1 November 2024 | Savannah Bentham | 10 | Female | American Bully XL (1) | East Heslerton, near Malton, North Yorkshire, England | Bentham was attacked by her family's dog and sustained serious injuries from which she died at the scene. The dog lived with the family for four years and had an exemption certificate; it was seized by police. |
| 4 Dec 2024 | Akif Mustaq | 42 | Male | American Pit Bull Terrier (1) | Stratford, East London, England | Leanne McDonnell was 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. She was also charged with three counts of owning a dog dangerously out of control causing no injury in relation to a sep |
| 7 Dec 2024 | Michelle McLeod | 41 | Female | American Bully XL (1) | Aberdeen, Scotland | McLeod died after being attacked by a dog at a flat in Aberdeen. She was pronounced dead at the scene, and the dog has since been euthanised. |
| 24 February 2025 † 30 March 2025 | John McColl | 84 | Male | American Bully XL (1) | Warrington, Cheshire, England | McColl was walking home when he was chased into a front garden in Bardsley Avenue in the Dallam area of Warrington, Cheshire, by the dog on 24 February. The animal had escaped from a nearby address, and was shot 19 times and killed by armed officers after the attack. Sean Garner was charged with owning a dangerously out of control dog, causing seri |
| 26 February 2025 | Morgan Dorsett | 19 | Female | American Bully XL (1) | Hartcliffe, Bristol, England | Dorsett died after being attacked at a flat she was visiting. Two people, a man and a woman both aged in their 20s, were arrested on suspicion of being in charge of a dog dangerously out of control causing injury resulting in death and possession of a prohibited breed of dog. They remain in police custody. The dog was sedated, seized and later euth |
| 2 November 2025 | Jonte William Bluck | 9 months | Male | American Bully XL (1) | Rogiet, Monmouthshire, Wales | Bluck was staying at his father's house when he was killed by the family's six-year-old XL Bully, who had a certificate of exemption. The dog was seized and destroyed.. The cause of death was listed as 'compressive head injury consistent with a dog bite'. Two people were arrested in connection with the death. |
| 9 April 2026 | Maggie May Ann Moody | 3 months | Female | Pocket American Bully (2) | Redcar, North Yorkshire, England | Moody was attacked by two dogs at a residential address in Redcar, and died as the result of a head injury. The dogs, which were in the back garden, entered the room where the baby was located, and attacked. One of the dogs was shot dead by police at the scene, while the other dog was seized and later destroyed.. Neighbours reported the two dogs to |
| 10 April 2026 | Jamie-Lea Biscoe | 19 | Female | Lurcher (1) | Leaden Roding, Essex, England | Biscoe was attacked by her family's pet dog at a house in Leaden Roding, a village near Dunmow, and died at the scene. A 37-year-old man was arrested and the dog was seized. |
| 15 April 2026 | Lila "Carol" Hall | 78 | Female | Unknown (2) | Wolverhampton, West Midlands, England | Hall was attacked by two dogs and died at the scene. Emergency services were called to Willis Pearson Avenue in Bilston at 23:30 BST, and the dogs - reported not to be a banned breed - were destroyed.. The dogs did not belong to the victim, and a 37-year-old man was arrested and bailed. |
References
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