Mauled to death by her own dogs
Family begged tragic mum to ditch pet XL bullies that killed her
THE family of a mum mauled to death by her own XL bully dogs begged her to get rid of the pets, it was claimed yesterday.
Angeline Mahal’s savaged body was found by her two sons who desperately tried to save her.
But she had already died and relatives fear she may have been lying there for hours.
The 50-year-old’s killer dogs were seized by police after armed officers stormed her home and found them locked in a room.
A sign on the front of Angeline’s home read “nevermind the dog, beware of the kids”.
One family member said: “We asked her to get rid of the dogs. The bond with owners and their dogs is too strong. She kept them in cages in one of the rooms.
“She had two dogs from when they were puppies. They were registered.
“The dogs took up a lot of her time, they took away her freedom.
“I told her many times to get rid of the dogs. This is an aggressive breed.
“We are just shocked. You hear about these attacks in a paper but you never expect this to happen to your own family.
“Her sons raised the alarm. They tried to do CPR to save her. She’s had many dogs over the years. It’s hard to pay attention to them.
“The whole family is distraught from this, her sons are devastated. Angeline was loved by everyone.
“We miss Angeline, she was a sincere woman with a kind heart.”
One neighbour told how the arrival of armed officers, a riot squad and police helicopter sparked fears a gunman had gone on the rampage.
The elderly local, who has lived on the street where Angeline was attacked in Hornchurch, East London, for 40 years, said: “There were cars and ambulances and a dozen officers.
“I said to the police, ‘Is it safe?’ We were worried there might be a gunman or someone with a sword, it was terrifying. We had no idea it was a dog attack.
“A helicopter came and I saw paramedics performing CPR on the front doorstep.
“We have grandchildren and some dog owners say, ‘Oh, they’re friendly’, when they go to stroke
She kept them in cages. This is an aggressive breed. I told her often to get rid of the dogs
FAMILY MEMBER ON VAIN PLEAS TO ANGELINE OVER DEADLY XL BULLIES
them. But I always get concerned. Why would you want two big XL bullies in the house?”
Another neighbour, mum-of-one Sejal Solanki, told how she had warned her child about going near Angeline’s XL bully dogs.
The 37-year-old said: “I told her, ‘Don’t ever touch those dogs. They’re dangerous’.”
A man working nearby added: “Armed response officers were here immediately.
“We thought it was a stabbing or a shooting or something.
“We saw someone get pulled out of the house on a bed getting CPR. I couldn’t see her because there were too many people around her.”
A blue forensic tent was put up outside Angeline’s cordoned-off home yesterday as police continued to gather evidence after the tragedy. XL bully dogs are feared to have killed as many as 13 people in less than three years in the UK.
Since February 1 it has been illegal to own one in England or Wales without an exemption certificate, or to walk one without a lead and muzzle.