Boy, 4, savaged by XL Bully while playing in park is left with deep bite marks

15 September 2023 , 10:54

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Nehal had been playing with his brother and dad at the time (Image: Supplied)

An XL Bully savagely attacked a four-year-old boy as he was playing in the park with his brother and dad.

Nehal Islam had been enjoying his time with his brother in Newham, east London, when the shocking mauling took place. He was charged down by the dog that bit his leg and “shook him so much that his shoes came off”, shortly before 6.30pm on Monday 11 September.

Nehal, four, was playing frisbee with his dad and brother at Hermit Road Recreation Ground in Canning Town when he was mauled by the dog. Nehal’s 11-year-old brother noticed a group of dogs in the corner of the park while he played with his family.

Boy, 4, savaged by XL Bully while playing in park is left with deep bite marks eiqekiquuiuzinv

The youngster's horrific injuries (Supplied)

Speaking to MyLondon, he said: "Two smaller dogs were on a leash, but I could see a much bigger one was running around freely. Suddenly the dog came chasing after us while we were playing, it looked like it was the same size as me.

"Me and my brother got separated from my dad, but then the dog attacked Nehal because he's smaller. He then bit his leg and shook him around so much that his shoes came off. My heart was beating so much, everything was happening so fast.

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"My dad then ran in and had to rip my brother's shorts off to stop the dog from attacking him. It was traumatic to see the bites on his legs, I was very upset. It was disgusting. I thought I was in a dream."

After biting Nehal, his dad tried to get the vicious dog off him, but the XL Bully also tried to bite him. The dog's owner "eventually approached" and called the dog off, before fleeing the scene with the animal.

The family said Nehal suffered five bite marks in the attack and underwent an operation on Wednesday (September 13). The four-year-old remains in hospital as doctors will decide today if he can return home for further recovery. Recent weeks and months have seen a spate of high-profile XL Bully attacks and maulings, leading to growing calls to have the dog breed banned.

But the Dog Control Coalition, who counts the likes of the RSPCA, Battersea and Dogs Trust as members, said that banning individual breeds doesn’t work, but that the current approach was currently failing too. Home Secretary Suella Braverman has called for the XL Bully dogs to be banned.

Posting on social media, she said all of the dogs were a “clear and lethal danger”, especially to children. She has also commissioned “urgent advice” on outlawing the dogs after an attack on an 11-year-old in Birmingham. The attack hit the headlines after graphic footage of an American XL Bully and Staffordshire bull terrier crossbreed got off its lead and attacked a number of people in Bordesley Green, Birmingham, last Saturday.

Ana Paun, 11, was chased and bitten by the dog on her arm and shoulder and the dog chased two men around a petrol station forecourt. Since then, a man, aged 60, who was also reportedly left in hospital, was arrested by West Midlands Police on suspicion of possessing a dog dangerously out of control.

A spokesperson for Dog Control Coalition said: "Sadly, the increased popularity of American XL bullies has made them valuable commodities, resulting in irresponsible breeding, rearing and ownership, which can all contribute to an increased likelihood of aggression in dogs, regardless of breed. However, the view of all leading animal charities is that the solution is not banning more types. Instead, the government needs to focus on the improvement and enforcement of current breeding and dog control regulations, and on promoting responsible

A spokesperson for the Met Police said: "Police are investigating after a small child was bitten by a dog in a Newham park. Police were called at 18:18hrs on Monday, 11 September to reports of a child having been bitten by a dog at Hermit Road Park, E16.

"At the scene, a four-year-old boy had allegedly been approached by a grey-coloured Pitbull type dog that bit him on the leg. The child’s father attempted to pull the dog off the child and the dog also tried to bite him.

"The dog’s owner eventually approached and called the dog off before fleeing the scene. The child was taken by London Ambulance Service to an east London hospital where his condition was not life-threatening. Enquiries continue to identify the owner of the grey Pitbull."