Dog in fatal attack confirmed as banned XL Bully

Bea Swallow
BBC News, Bristol
Family Handout Morgan Dorsett wearing a dark blue dress with silver sequins forming a pattern on the front. She is smiling at the camera, and has long blonde hair with darker roots. She is wearing black eyeliner, a choker necklace and bracelets on each wrist. Behind her there is a curving pavement and a wooden fence, overlooking a patch of dry grass and a large green bush on a sunny day.
Family Handout
Police called the attack on 19-year-old Morgan Dorsett "incredibly rare"

An autopsy has confirmed the dog which killed a teenage girl in a fatal attack was an XL Bully.

Morgan Dorsett, 19, from Shropshire, succumbed to her injuries inside a flat in Cobhorn Drive in the Hartcliffe area of Bristol at about 19:00 GMT on 26 February.

Avon and Somerset Police confirmed following the incident that the dog had been sedated at the scene and later put down.

A man and a woman, both in their 20s, have been released on conditional bail they were arrested on suspicion of possession of a prohibited breed of dog.

They were also arrested on suspicion of possession of being in charge of a dog dangerously out of control causing injury resulting in death.

PA Media A brown and white XL Bully wearing a thick khaki collar with a buckle clasp, and a black rope lead. The dog is standing in a field with green out of focus background, and is looking at the camera.PA Media
The government banned XL Bullies in 2023 because the dogs had been "disproportionately involved" in deaths, (Library image)

A neighbour who lives close to the scene reported hearing "screaming" on the night in question, and described the dog as "big, butch and brown and white" in colour.

Another neighbour told the BBC the teenager had only lived in the property a few weeks prior to her death.

At a press conference on Thursday, Insp Terry Murphy from Avon and Somerset Police described the incident as "incredibly rare" and said a full investigation "to establish the full circumstances" was underway.

A fundraiser to help cover the teenager's funeral costs has amassed almost £7,000 in just three days.

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