A brave neighbour has recalled the desperate moments she ran to try and help save a 17-month-old baby who was mauled to death by a dog.
The toddler, named by Merseyside Police as Bella-Rae Birch, was attacked by the family pet at around 3.50pm yesterday (March 21). Emergency services quickly arrived at the scene, on Bidston Avenue Avenue, St Helens, where she was rushed to hospital but tragically died.
One heroic neighbour, Jordan, ran over to help the young girl when she heard screams. Jordan, who hopes to go to university in September to train to be a pandemic, told the Echo : "I gave CPR to the baby. My head is a mess.
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"I heard them screaming for help and I ran over. The parents were hysterical. I've lived here for eight years but I've never spoken to them before."
Jordan lives near the family and said the baby's mum was "devastated" and "crying hysterically" outside the house moments after the horrific attack. Neighbours said the family of four had lived at that house for around three years and only purchased the dog recently.
The dog was described by one woman as "stocky" and noted that she thought it was a Pitbull or Staffy. Meanwhile, another neighbour said: "There were absolutely loads of police officers, there must have been about 20 police cars and ambulances.
"The square was absolutely swarming with them, I've never seen so many police in my life. I was just in shock when I heard a baby had been attacked by a dog. I believe the dog was tranquillised in the house with a dart gun."
Other neighbours recalled that the animal was brought out with a metal collar and rod by police officers. The dog was humanely put down following the horrific attack. Another neighbour described the family as "lovely" and said the parents doted on their "beautiful daughter".
He said: "They are absolutely devoted to their kids, they do everything with them, they're always together. It's horrific. I can't even speak about it."
Jordan, who helped to try and save the little girl, had to provide CCTV of the incident. After re-watching the scene on her CCTV, she said she had "realised" the trauma of the evening. She added: "Everybody was in shock."
The town’s Labour MP Conor McGinn said: “The close-knit community in Blackbrook and across St Helens are in deep shock after yesterday’s tragedy. Our thoughts and prayers are with the little girl’s family, who are devastated. I know everyone locally will respect their request for privacy as they grieve.”
The dog will be forensically examined to establish its breed and determine whether it was legal to own under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991.
Detective Inspector Lisa Milligan said: “This is a tragic incident and our thoughts are with the child’s family at this devastating time. The little girl’s parents and wider family are absolutely devastated and our specialist Family Liaison Officers are providing them with support at this horrendous time.
“Whilst we are in the very early stages of the investigation into this extremely tragic incident we can confirm that the dog was only bought by the family a week ago and officers are working to identify the previous owners of the dog concerned and establish its history. Our officers will remain on Bidston Avenue this evening and in the coming days to provide reassurance to the local community and we will work tirelessly to establish the full circumstances.
"If you were in the Bidston Avenue area this afternoon and witnessed anything, or have any information about the dog in question then please come forward speak to one of our officers. Our officers take the issue of dangerous dogs very seriously. Over the past years we have worked proactively with the five local authorities in Merseyside to ensure prohibited dogs are taken off the streets.
"Anyone 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."
