Dog that mauled boy, 4, was illegal pit bull breed

THE dog that savaged John-Paul Massey to death was an illegally-held pit bull-type dog banned for being too dangerous to keep, it has been revealed.

The four-year-old boy was attacked by the dog, which locals said was a family pet belonging to his uncle, in the early hours of Monday morning while at the home of his grandmother, Helen Foulkes, 63, in Liverpool.

The animal, called Uno, also savaged her before being shot dead by police as she tried to protect the boy she was babysitting at her home on Ash Grove in the Wavertree area of the city.