Girl, 5, suffers life-changing injuries in XL bully attack

PA Media Greater Manchester Police jacketPA Media
GMP has referred itself to the IOPC "due to previous police contact regarding the dog"

A five-year-old girl has suffered "serious life-changing injuries" in an an attack by an XL bully.

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said the dog had attacked the girl inside a property on Walnut Road in Partington, Trafford, at about 15:40 BST on Sunday.

The force said a man, aged 28, and a 34-year-old woman had been arrested on suspicion of allowing a dog to be dangerously out of control.

A representative said GMP had referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct "due to previous police contact regarding the dog".

They said the child suffered "serious life-changing injuries which were not life-threatening" and the dog had been "seized".

They added that the arrested man had also been held on suspicion of child neglect, while the woman had been released on bail.

Ownership of XL bully dogs is restricted in England, Scotland and Wales under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 and since 31 December 2023, it has been against the law to sell, give away, abandon or breed from an XL bully.

On 1 February 2024, it became a criminal offence to own an XL bully without an exemption certificate.

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