London: Brave mum cradled bleeding toddler after ‘XL Bully’ dog attack | UK News

A man has been charged following an ‘XL Bully’ dog attack which left a mum struggling to protect her young son.

The 20-month-old was attacked by the dog near the Hilton Hotel on Catherine Grove in Greenwich, London on Monday morning.

His mum lost a shoe as she struggled to protect her son from the dog, which has since been put down.

There was blood pouring from the toddler’s leg, and he was airlifted to hospital but his injuries are not thought to be life threatening.

Thomas Ackah, 29, the dog’s owner, was arrested at the scene.

On Tuesday Ackah, of Old Kent Road, SE1, was charged with being in charge of a dangerously out of control dog. He was set to appear at Bromley magistrates court on the same day.

One witness described her horror at hearing ‘screams’ outside her home and running outside to find a powerful dog attacking the toddler.

A police spokesman said: ‘Police were called at 10:10hrs on October 2 to reports of a 20-month-old child bitten by a dog on Catherine Grove.

‘Emergency services attended. The child was taken to hospital where their injuries were assessed as not life-threatening.

‘The dog and its owner were located by officers. A man has been arrested on suspicion of being in charge of a dog dangerously out of control. The dog has been seized and will be taken to kennels.

‘The boy’s injuries have been treated at hospital. They are not life changing or threatening fortunately. We wish the victim all the best with his recovery and thoughts with his family.’

The Met said the dog involved is thought to be an XL Bully, but further tests are needed to confirm this.

It comes just days after protests were staged across the country opposing the ban of the American XL bully breed in the UK announced by Rishi Sunak in September.

The plans to make the dog illegal by the end of 2023 have been met with mixed reaction, with some saying the owners are to blame, while others believe it’s the right move.

A ban was prompted after a spate of dog attacks by XL bullies, including a shocking incident in Staffordshire on September 14 in which 52-year-old Ian Price was mauled to death while trying to protect his elderly mum.

In the week before the fatal attack on Mr Price, an 11-year-old schoolgirl had been badly injured when an XL bully dog randomly attacked her as she walked through Birmingham, as well as two men who tried to intervene.

A boy, 10, had also been savaged by an out of control dog as he played football outside his house in Walsall.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

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