Police confirm dogs in fatal Essex attack ‘were XL bullies’

Police have confirmed that two dogs which fatally attacked an elderly woman at a house in Essex last weekend were XL bullies.

Esther Martin, 68, died following the incident in Jaywick, near Clacton, on 3 February. Two dogs found in the house were euthanised by police.

Although it had already been widely claimed that the dogs involved were XL bullies, their type was only confirmed formally in an updated statement from Essex Police today (9 February).

‘Specific measurements’

Chief Superintendent Stuart Weaver said it was “really important we got that information right” and that identifying categories within a breed can be a complicated process.

He said: “It requires a police-trained dog expert to examine the physical features of the dog against specific measurements, in line with the guidelines published by the Government.

“A forensic postmortem was also carried out by a veterinary scientist and through this combination it was confirmed that the dogs were XL bullies.”

A 39-year-old man who was arrested in connection with the incident on suspicion of dangerous dog offences remains on bail until early March.