School forced to evacuate after rampaging XL Bully dog attacks owner and escapes home

Dog’s owner taken to hospital after attack

A school was forced to evacuate after a woman was mauled by her pet XL Bully at her home, before it escaped from the back garden.

Police officers were called to Gately Road in Brisley, near Dereham, on Monday afternoon to reports that a woman was being attacked by a dog and was screaming for help.

Upon arriving, they found a woman, aged in her 60s and the dog’s owner, being mauled by her pet, which managed to escape from the property after the attack.

The XL Bully attacked its owner before being caught in a school car park (Getty Images)

She received multiple injuries during the incident and was taken to Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, were her injuries were considered non life threatening.

The XL Bully was found by a member of the public, who secured it to the post in the car park of a local primary school, where it was discovered by officers.

Children and teachers were inside the school building, with a spokesperson for the school saying that police actioned them to clear the area, with “no immediate danger” posed to pupils or staff.

Despite multiple veterinary practices being contacted for help in sedating the dog, none were able to attend and the dog was destroyed due to the threat to the wider public.

Inspector Diana Woodage of Norfolk Constabulary said: “This was a terribly sad and distressing situation. Officers were faced with an incredibly difficult situation when they arrived at the scene – a woman being viciously attacked by her dog and was very clearly injured and in some pain. In the interests of public safety and at the request of the owner, the dog was humanely destroyed.”

The incident comes as the government looks to ban XL bullies in response to a series of attacks, in which several children have been maimed or killed.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak described the animals as a danger to communities and said he will outlaw the animals under the Dangerous Dogs Act with measures “in place by the end of the year”.

Campaigners have linked to at least 14 human deaths to the breed since 2021, including 10-year-old Jack Lis and 17-month-old baby Bella-Rae Birch.