Man arrested after schoolgirl, 11, injured in attack by rampaging XL Bully

13 September 2023, 11:51 | Updated: 15 September 2023, 15:31

A man has been arrested over a horror dog attack which saw an 11-year-old girl and two men savaged near a petrol station over the weekend.

Ana Paun and her older sister Geneza, 18, were out shopping in Bordesley Green, Birmingham, when the beast went for her.

The crossbreed Bully XL/Staffordshire Bull Terrier puppy broke free from its collar and chased the girl biting her shoulder and forearms.

In a video of the attack, Ana is seen being grappled to the floor by the hound which had "broken free from its collar".

The footage, taken last Saturday, then shows two men rushing to intervene before they are bitten themselves in the process.

West Midlands Police said: "A 60-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of possessing a dog dangerously out of control."He has been bailed with conditions while enquiries continue."

Read more: What does the XL Bully ban mean for dog owners?

The dog remains in secure kennels and is set to be destroyed.

The girl's mother Monica, 32, said that her daughter could have been killed and argued that "these dogs should be away from people."

Ana has called for the breed to be banned. She said: "At the time I just felt panic. The dog was staring at me. He jumped on my arm and bit me. It was so scary.

"I was screaming. He let my arm go and then bit my shoulder.

"I feel a bit better now. I went with the ambulance. I want him [the dog] to go away, to die.

"I think all of the dogs, the bulldogs, all of them should be banned."

Councillor Nicky Brennan, the city's community safety and equalities lead, said she has been advised of a decision to humanely kill the animal in a briefing from West Midlands Police community safety team on Tuesday.

She said: "The briefing detailed that a decision was taken that the dog will be destroyed.

"There's no other option but to take this action with the dog. It's a shame."

Home Secretary Suella Braverman has called for American XI bully dogs to be banned and Labour leader Keir Starmer told LBC there was a "strong case" for government action.