The mum of a 10-year-old girl who died after being attacked by the family’s XL Bully sobbed and put her head in her hands as a coroner told of the moment she found her daughter
A mum buried her head in her hands, sobbing as a coroner heard she found her 10-year-old child in a “foetal position” after their XL Bully launched a deadly attack.
Savannah Bentham was killed by their “lazy” family dog after her mum went to get help to fix the hot water in their static caravan. The inquest heard how Tracey Bentham had gone to get Savannah’s grandfather Mark to sort out a faulty connection on the Calor gas, so her daughter could have a hot shower. But when they returned together, she found Savannah in a foetal position on the floor – and their six-year-old pet ‘Biggie’ covered in blood.
Coroner Jon Heath, sitting at Northallerton, had warned mum Tracey and dad Bradley that their daughter’s inquest was going to be “very distressing and upsetting”. But nothing could prepare them for the heartbreaking evidence.
Tracey, clutching a tissue, watched proceedings on a video link, with partner Bradley and Karen, believed to be Savannah’s grandmother, as the hearing was told Dr Bolton, a pathologist, gave the cause of Savannah’s death as “neck injuries”.
Giving evidence in court, DCI Matthew Wilkinson, told how the tragedy happened on Friday November 1 2024 at the family’s static caravan in Malton, which was situated in an industrial area.
He said the family had owned the XL Bully, listed in the UK as a ‘dangerous dog’ under new laws, for around four years before the tragedy. But he said there had been no trouble with him previously and he was ‘legitimately’ registered.
The coroner was told Biggie, who has since been destroyed, was registered with the local vets, chipped and castrated. The officer said: “It was all legitimately registered as it has to be in law,” pointing XL Bullies need to wear a muzzle in public but not in the home.
The law was changed in 2023 after a Mirror campaign appealed for action. We were backed by mum Emma Whitfield, whose son Jack Lis, 10, was mauled to death in November 2021 in South Wales by an XL Bully when he visited a pal’s home.
Since then owners have been required to register and muzzle XL Bullies when in public. It is also illegal to sell, breed or abandon them.
When the Government announced the XL Bully ban for England and Wales, it said the breed had been “disproportionately involved” in deaths recorded since 2021.
The officer on Tuesday said of the day Savannah was killed: “Brad had gone out to work and Savannah was at home – as it was the school holidays – with her mother and the XL Bulldog Biggy.
“Throughout the course of the day they’d been at home, during that day Savannah’s grandfather Mark had attended the address with a new Calor gas canister for the heating.
“During the afternoon Savannah was going to have a shower so they tried to use the hot water and it became apparent that the Calor gas hadn’t been connected correctly, so Tracey went to find Mark, the grandfather, to come back and sort out the connection to the Calor gas.
“At that time Savannah was at home with Biggie the XL Bulldog watching television.” He said it was unclear how long the mum had been gone, as she had been “in and out of the caravan”. He said Biggie was described as a “lazy dog” by the family and there had been no trouble with him previously.
The mum bent over and covered her eyes as the hearing was told: “When they returned back they… could see Biggie had attacked Savannah. The scene that confronted them was that Savannah was in a foetal position… the dog was present and covered in blood. Mark secured the dog in a car outside so they could help Savannah, with people nearby giving her CPR and first aid.”
Emergency services attended “but despite efforts Savannah was pronounced deceased” at 4.45pm. Biggie was secured and taken to an approved police kennels. He was put down four days later by a vet.
The coroner said there was “nothing identified” on the pathological examination of Biggie that “demonstrated any physical or pathological” reason, “which could be responsible for a burst of aggression”.
Giving a narrative conclusion he said on November 1 2024, Savanna Bentham “was in her static caravan… when she suffered injuries inflicted by the family dog, an XL Bully”.
He said Savannah “died as a consequence of injuries inflicted by the family dog… So that is my conclusion in this inquest…most importantly I want to give my sincere condolences to the family of Savannah.”