By Isabelle Bates

Copyright birminghammail

A schoolgirl was killed by her family’s pet XL bully after she was left home alone, an inquest heard. The dog, named ‘Biggie’, was said to have been covered in blood when the girl’s mother returned to the horrific scene. Savannah Bentham, ten, was alone in the static caravan where she lived with her parents in the village of East Heslerton in North Yorkshire when she was attacked by the six-year-old family pet, a police officer told a coroner today, Tuesday, September 23. READ MORE: Arrest after fatal hit-and-run crash as damaged Jaguar seized Det Chief Insp Matthew Wilkinson told the hearing in Northallerton how Savannah’s mother, Tracey Bentham, had popped out to ask a relative to fix a faulty gas canister connection. Mr Wilkinson said: “Savannah was in a foetal position in the address and the dog was present and covered in blood.” The officer said Savannah’s grandfather secured the dog in a car while attempts were made to resuscitate the schoolgirl, including by customers of a nearby business and, later, paramedics. But the inquest heard she died at the scene from injuries to her neck. Mr Wilkinson told the court there was no evidence the dog had acted aggressively before, and the family had complied with everything required in relation to its exemption certificate under dangerous dogs legislation. He said that included being registered with a vet and appropriately chipped and neutered, and that it wore a muzzle in public. The officer said there was no requirement for the dog to have a muzzle in the family home. Mr Wilkinson said Savannah’s father, Bradley, was at work at the time of the incident on November 1, 2024, and the girl was at home with her mother as it was during a school holiday. He said the family’s caravan was part of an industrial unit. Mrs Bentham had gone to find Savannah’s grandfather, Mark, who was elsewhere on the site, after she realised the heating gas canister he had just installed was not working properly and Savannah wanted a shower. Mr Wilkinson said: “At the time, Savannah was at home with Biggie, watching TV.” He said there had been nothing up to that point that was “any cause for concern” and the family described Biggie as a “lazy dog”. He said: “When they returned back to the caravan they could see Biggie had attacked Savannah and, consequently, the emergency services were called.” Asked by North Yorkshire’s senior coroner Jon Heath whether there had been any problems with Biggie in the past in the caravan, Mr Wilkinson said: “It was entirely normal in terms of the dog being in the family home. There’s never been any incident in relation to the dog in the family home as far as the inquiry determined.” The officer confirmed there were no witnesses to the attack in the caravan. He said a post-mortem examination on the dog found no “physical or pathological alterations” that would have caused a “burst of aggression”. The officer said the family had owned the dog for about four years and thought he was about seven. The veterinary pathologist said he thought the dog was about six, the court heard. Mr Heath recorded a narrative conclusion after an hour-long hearing, saying Savannah died “as a consequence of injuries inflicted on her by the family dog”. Last year, North Yorkshire Police said the dog was identified as an XL bully and put down by a vet, confirming it had a certificate of exemption under the recent legislation which banned the breed. In a statement issued by North Yorkshire Police after the incident, the family said: “We are utterly shocked and devastated by what happened to Savannah. We can’t believe we have lost our wonderful girl who we love so much.”