Girl, 10, died of neck injuries after being attacked by out-of-control XL Bully in her family’s caravan, inquest hears

A ten-year-old girl mauled to death in her family’s caravan by an XL Bully died from neck injuries, an inquest heard today.

Savannah Bentham is to be laid to rest after the inquest was opened and adjourned today as post mortem results were revealed for the first time.

The hearing was told the Savannah schoolgirl’s life was tragically cut short on November 1 and her remains were identified on November 5 by a grandmother.

No family members attended the five-minute hearing at Northallerton Coroner’s Court in North Yorkshire, where the inquest was adjourned until a date to be fixed.

North Yorkshire Assistant Coroner Alison Norton gave Savannah’s address as AF Rayspeed, a scooter dealer just outside the village of East Heslerton, between Scarborough and Malton.

She continued: “She died on November 1 at that address. On November 1 by a dog at her home address and suffered fatal injuries. The cause of death was neck injuries.

“She was identified by her grandmother on November 5.”

The Coroner then adjourned the hearing until a date and time to be determined. Handing over her official ID, she added that Savannah was a schoolgirl.

Tributes poured in for the ‘model pupil’ earlier this month, with her heartbroken family describing her as their ‘wonderful girl who we love so much’.

In a statement released by North Yorkshire Police, Savannah’s family said they were “completely shocked” and “devastated”, adding: “We can’t believe we’ve lost the wonderful girl we love so much.” .

They continued: “We thank everyone for their support and kindness as we try to come to terms with our loss. We ask that our family’s privacy be respected as we grieve for Savannah.

It was previously revealed that Savannah and her family were living in a static trailer in a compound behind the scooter dealerships.

North Yorkshire Police said the girl had a “close and loving relationship” with the dog that killed her. The force said the dog would be put down.

It was also claimed that she bragged to her friends, saying: “I’ve got a new pet – an XL thug.”

People at a nearby caravan site were alerted by the screams of the girl’s traumatized mother at around 4.15pm on Friday.

A local farmer, who asked not to be named, said: “The dog is an XL bully. It has been certified and is well cared for. He is a very big dog. I’ve seen him a few times around the pub, he doesn’t bother anyone or other dogs and is well behaved.

Describing the incident, the farmer said: “The mother ran out of the static caravan shouting ‘my baby is dead’. Some people from the caravan site went to help. She was obviously really upset.

“The police got here very quickly, there were two helicopters, ambulances and an armed response unit. Looks like someone put the dog in a car.

“They are really nice people. The girl is a really polite girl who always says please and thank you. There was a cute little girl you saw riding a bicycle.

Caravan site manager Samantha Robinson also said: “The static caravan moved here about four months ago.

“This little girl said she has a new pet, an XL American Bully. She was a cute little girl, she asked permission to play on the swings in the park and I gave her permission.

Ownership of American Bully XL dogs is restricted under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991. Since the beginning of this year, it has been against the law to sell, give away, abandon or breed an XL bully.

From February 1 it is an offense to possess an XL bully without an exemption certificate.

When the ban was introduced, a government press release said there had been 23 fatal dog attacks since the start of 2021, with bully XL “being involved in many of these tragic attacks”.

The Office for National Statistics does not break down assaults by race.