Family's Warnings Went Unheeded Before Tragic XL Bully Attack
A 50-year-old mother was found dead by her twin sons after being fatally mauled by her two XL Bully dogs, despite her family's repeated pleas for her to rehome the animals. Angeline Mahal, a beautician from Hornchurch in East London, had long been urged by relatives to part with her pets, Bella and SJ, before the tragic incident at her home.
The Discovery and Police Response
Ms Mahal's 26-year-old twin sons returned to their family property at approximately 1pm on May 20 last year to find their mother lying unresponsive on the floor with catastrophic bite injuries to her arms and legs. The two dogs were secured in separate rooms when the discovery was made.
An inquest at East London Coroner's Court heard that a neighbour had contacted police earlier that morning to report a disturbance, but officers were mistakenly sent to the wrong location. Area coroner Nadia Persaud confirmed: "Unfortunately the police were given the wrong location, so a police van did attend but they went to the location they were given and didn't find anything."
A Life Cut Short
Ms Mahal had returned home by taxi at around 10pm on May 19 and remained alone with the dogs until her sons discovered her the following afternoon. Her brother, Gurinder, described her as an "animal lover" who rarely stayed out late because she wanted to return to care for her pets.
The family had become particularly concerned after reading about another fatal XL Bully attack on a grandmother in Essex. Gurinder told the coroner they had explicitly warned his sister to get rid of the dogs to prevent a similar tragedy and to give her more freedom.
Paramedics were called to the scene and pronounced Ms Mahal dead at 1.32pm. The court heard that both dogs had lived with the family since puppyhood and were believed to be six or seven years old. Her son Rainveer stated that while SJ had been "problematic" with the other dog, Bella, neither had previously shown aggression toward people.
Concluding the inquest, Ms Persaud ruled the death as accidental, noting that while the dogs were intentionally kept, the fatal outcome was unintended. The post-mortem investigation confirmed the cause of death as multiple bite injuries.
