Killer dogs got in via a gap in fence
THE two dogs that killed a pensioner in her garden had escaped from a neighbouring property through a hole in a fence, police said yesterday.
The 85-year-old woman, who suffered multiple injuries in the ‘horrific’ and ‘sustained’ attack on Friday in the Black Country town of Rowley Regis, was last night named as great-grandmother Lucille Downer.
The owner of the two dogs, a 43-yearold man, was arrested shortly after the incident and has been bailed pending further inquiries. His pets were tranquillised and taken to nearby kennels, where they are being tested to determine their breed.
Yesterday, floral tributes were left on the victim’s drive, with one displaying the message ‘RIP Nan’.
In a statement, her family said: ‘Lucille was a mother, grandmother and great-grandmother who spent her working years as a cook at Bromford House Care Home in West Bromwich. Lucille was born in Jamaica and emigrated to the UK in her early 20s. Since arriving in the UK, Rowley Regis has always been her home and her family will miss her dearly.’
Neighbours quickly rushed to her aid during the attack, but were too late to save her and she was confirmed dead at the scene.
At a press conference yesterday, Superintendent Phil Asquith, of West Midlands Police, described the incident as a ‘fairly sustained attack’ but declined to give details of the victim’s injuries. He added: ‘Fortunately, these types of incidents are rare. This presented no wider threat to the public. It was a hole in adjacent premises so they weren’t running in the streets.’
He declined to speculate about the breed of dog until DNA samples had been analysed to establish if they were banned under the Dangerous Dogs Act. The owner has been arrested on suspicion of being in charge of a dog dangerously out of control.