Four-year-old girl killed by dog in Leicestershire

Police raided a property in the Bridgend area. Picture: TSPL

Lexi Hudson was rushed to hospital after being savaged by the dog but died from her injuries shortly afterwards.

Neighbours last night said the dog had only been at the family’s flat Rowena Court in Mountsorrel, Leicestershire, for a few weeks. It was unclear last night whether the dog was a family pet or belonged to a friend.

Some residents revealed they heard screams coming from the flat at just after midday yesterday, at the time Lexi was injured.

Lily Parks, 87, who lives near the family, said: “She was such a lovely little girl – a dainty little thing and she had only just started school.

“I’m so upset to hear that has happened. It was an enormous dog, but the little girl was obviously very fond of it.”

She added that people heard the youngster’s mother, Jodi, scream at about the time the youngster was attacked.

Mrs Parks said: “My neighbour called me to say she thought she heard Jodi screaming this afternoon, so I opened my window and I could hear a lot of noise.

“She is young so I just thought it was some commotion. I cannot believe what has happened. That little girl had only just started school as well.

“They had only had the dog about four weeks – great big thing it was. Jodi said it had a lovely nature though.

“I am in shock. She was such a lovely little girl.”

Police were called to the family home at 12:15pm after receiving reports that a youngster had been attacked by a dog.

She was taken to the Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham where she later died.

The dog died shortly afterwards, but details of how have not been released by police.

In a statement, Leicestershire Police said they did not believe the dog “was of a breed listed under Section 1 of the Dangerous Dogs Act”.

Gloria Longmire, a secretary at Mountsorrel Methodist Church, who walks her dogs near where the Hudson family lived, described the girl’s death as “tragic”.

She said: “It’s really shook me, that is dreadful. It’s tragic, it is really tragic.

“I would say we do have a strong community here and people will be absolutely horrified and it’s dreadful that it’s a family pet.”

Neighbour Arthur Nash said: “Everybody is in shock at the moment with her dying.

“When I saw an ambulance pull up I thought it was an old lady on the court who had had a heart attack and then the neighbour came up and said the girl had been killed by the dog.”

A police spokesman said officers were continuing to carry out inquiries in the area to establish what led to the tragic events.

A spokeswoman from the East Midlands Ambulance Service said staff who had handled the 999 call and attended the family home had been traumatised by the events.

She said: “This was a very distressing 999 call for all concerned and we are providing support to our colleagues who responded.”

Last night, a neighbour, who asked not to be identified, said Lexi loved to play outside her house.

She said: “She used to say hello when she was playing. It is just such a shock, such a sad shock.”

In 2011, Jude Keir, nine, suffered severe head injuries when he was mauled by a Staffordshire bull terrier outside Woodhead Primary School in Hamilton.

He needed 40 stitches and is said to have survived because two people dragged the dog off him.