An 83-year-old grandmother jas died 17 days after suffering a severe “unprovoked attack” by an XL Bully.

The gruesome incident was revealed at an inquest hearing about the death of Shirley Patrick.

Shirley, who had dementia, died two weeks after she was attacked by a dog named Bagheera which caused “life-threatening injuries”.

The horror incident happened as Shirley sat down in her chair to enjoy a cup of tea.

This retired nurse battled dementia and was under the care of a relative also tending to the dog. The pet’s owners had reassured the family that Bagheera posed no danger.

But as she sat down in her chair, the dog pounced on her initiating a brutal assault in the Caerphilly residence in South Wales.

Shirley bore “traumatic lacerations” and substantial face, arms, body, and head injuries due to the savaging. She sadly couldn’t recover from the attack, contracting sepsis and eventually passing away, as per the inquest.

“Shirley Patrick suffered an unprovoked attack in her home address by an XL Bully dog,” declared Senior Gwent Coroner Caroline Saunders. “The injuries she sustained were extensive and, despite intensive care, Shirley died at the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff on 20/12/2023.”

Police officers since confiscated the large black XL Bully cross cane corso breed animal and put it down. Though four individuals linked to Shirley’s death were initially arrested, no subsequent charges were filed given Bagheera’s lack of previous violent behaviour.

Shirley’s family, spearheaded by her 65-year-old daughter Gail Jones, have been relentlessly campaigning for stricter regulations on XL Bully owners.

She said: “It’s been two years since my mother was killed and I still can’t process what happened. When I am on my own I just can’t even bear to think of the way she died in such an horrific, terrible way. It has devastated our family in so many ways.

“There has been no justice for her. No one has been punished or held accountable. I am absolutely disgusted. The XL Bully dog that killed her had had four different owners in ten months and had been reported to the police – it was clearly a troublesome dog.”

Jones is adamant that legislative changes are insufficient and vows to reach out to Keir Starmer to advocate for tougher laws. She argues: “The law may have changed but it’s not enough. I am going to be in touch with Keir Starmer and fight for stricter laws. Any person found breeding illegal dogs should face a hefty jail sentence. A serial killer gets a life sentence but these people are breeding ‘killing machines’ for profit and getting a way with it.”