Inquest hears baby died from ‘catastrophic’ head injury in dog attack

An inquest has revealed that a seven-month-old infant, Elle Doherty, succumbed to a “catastrophic” head injury following an attack by her family’s pet dog. Coventry Coroner’s Court was informed that Elle was positioned on the floor, close to her parents, when the 31kg Belgian Malinois initiated a “sudden and unanticipated” assault. Area coroner Delroy Henry determined that the incident, which occurred at the family residence in Coundon on 16 June, endured for “less than a second” before the dog, named Zeus, was promptly restrained. Elle sustained skull fractures and experienced a cardiac arrest, and was declared deceased at the hospital approximately an hour subsequent to the attack. Her parents were absent from the inquest proceedings, having communicated a desire to be excused, which Mr. Henry described as “wholly understandable.” Freeze-frame CCTV footage, captured by an indoor security camera within the family’s residence, depicted the parents’ swift actions to safeguard their child. Det Insp Anthony Hibbert, when discussing these images, concurred with Mr. Henry’s observations that the event “transpired within a second or less” and that both parents “immediately reacted to this situation by removing Zeus from the equation” and securing both the dog and Elle. Det Insp Hibbert informed the inquest, stating: “It appears from when you watch the footage, maybe baby Elle slightly leant on Zeus and that is when Zeus attacks baby Elle.” Mr. Doherty, in a submitted written statement, indicated that the pet had been obtained from a breeder located in Gloucestershire in October 2020 and was considered “good around people and other dogs.” Testimony at the inquest revealed that a dog-handler was summoned to the location and employed a sedation dart to facilitate Zeus’s removal from the garden. Zeus was subsequently transported to a veterinary clinic and euthanized on the identical day. Concluding the inquest, Mr. Henry remarked: “This is certainly a tragic incident – a family changed forever. “I really don’t think there are any words that I could say to console the family of Elle save to reiterate that my heart goes out to Elle’s parents and family.””