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Two women arrested in Liverpool after dog kills pensioner Two women arrested in Liverpool after dog kills pensioner
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Two women have been arrested in Liverpool after an elderly man died following an attack by a dog in the garden of his Liverpool home. Two women have been arrested in Liverpool after an elderly man died following an attack by a dog in the garden of his home.
The women are believed to have been neighbours of 79-year-old Clifford Clarke, who was found by police lying in the garden of his home in Clubmoor on Saturday night. The women are believed to have been neighbours of 79-year-old Clifford Clarke, who was found by police lying in the garden of his home in Clubmoor on Saturday night. Police marksmen were called in and shot the dog, which was described as out of control.
Police marksmen were called in and shot the dog, which was described as out of control. Neighbours described the dead man, believed to have worked as a hospital porter, as friendly and well-liked, and said several had recently joined him on an outing to the pub to celebrate his 79th birthday.
A neighbour told the Liverpool Echo: "He was a lovely, sweet old man. He had put a pan of scouse on and went to his friend's home. When he went back the kitchen had become smoky so he opened the back door and as he opened the back door the dog was there. He was a lovely fella. It's so sad."A neighbour told the Liverpool Echo: "He was a lovely, sweet old man. He had put a pan of scouse on and went to his friend's home. When he went back the kitchen had become smoky so he opened the back door and as he opened the back door the dog was there. He was a lovely fella. It's so sad."
Police were called to the house at about 8.40pm on Saturday. A spokesman said the breed of dog had still be to established – locals described it as "a pit bull type". Police were called to the house at about 8.40pm on Saturday. A spokesman said the breed of dog had still be to established. Locals described it as "a pit bull type". A postmortem will be carried out on Clarke to determine the cause of death.
A postmortem will be carried out on Clarke to determine the cause of death. New legislation to tackle dangerous dogs was promised in the Queen's speech this month, in the wake of a petition following the death in March of a girl in Greater Manchester, which highlighted the problem of attacks on private property.
Two women, aged 27 and 28, have been arrested on suspicion of an offence under the Dangerous Dogs Act. Jade Anderson, 14 was attacked by four dogs while alone in a friend's house. The dogs were legally owned, on private property and not of a prohibited breed, so police said no prosecution was possible.
New legislation to tackle dangerous dogs was promised in the Queen's speech earlier this month, in the wake of a petition following the death in March of a 14-year-old girl in Greater Manchester. Last November in Telford a week-old boy, Harry Harper, died of head injuries after being attacked while sleeping in his cot by the family pet, a seven-year-old jack russell described as "mild-mannered", one of several recent reports of deaths after attacks by legally owned dogs on private property. Also in November, in south London, a 71-year-old woman died after being attacked as she fed her daughter's five dogs.
Jade Anderson was attacked by four dogs while alone in a friend's house. The dogs were legally owned, on private property and not of a prohibited breed, so police said no prosecution was possible. The latest figures show that in 2011-12 a total of 6,447 people were admitted to hospital for dog bites, a slight increase on the previous 12 months. The highest incidence was in children under 10, and the north-east had the highest number of reports, more than twice the number in London. According to the RSPCA, the figures equate to around 75 serious dog bite admissions for every 100,000 dogs owned in the UK.
The Royal Mail has backed calls for the law to be strengthened and warned that it will take "more robust" action against the owners of aggressive dogs, including suspending deliveries to addresses where attacks have taken place, after figures showed that attacks on postal workers were running at more than 3,000 a year.
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