Woman visiting grandson is killed by dogs believed to be XL bullies
A woman who lost her life in a dog attack was on a weekend visit to her grandson, as confirmed by her family.
Esther Martin, aged 68, tragically passed away at the scene of the incident in Jaywick, near Clacton-on-Sea, Essex, on Saturday afternoon.
A 39-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of dangerous dog offences, and the involved dogs have been euthanized.
Although Martin’s daughter identified the dogs as banned XL bully dogs, the police are awaiting confirmation of the breed from experts.
Sonia Martin, 47, said that her mother was visiting her 11-year-old grandson when she was attacked.
She said her nephew had “ran out the house screaming for help” and some neighbours had grabbed spades to try and “fight off” the dogs.
“There were adult XL bully dogs in the property, and my mum had raised concerns to the owners about them being dangerous and quite aggressive,” she said.
“There were also six puppies.”
Martin said she believed the puppies had been fighting, and that her mother had been told by the dog’s owner earlier to “put a broom in among them, to distract them”.
“That’s when she was attacked,” she said.