A 60-year-old woman has been killed after being attacked by dogs inside a property.
The Mirror reports that officers from Merseyside Police rushed to the scene of the incident in St Brigids Crescent, Liverpool, at around 4.25pm today. The woman was pronounced dead at the property by North West Ambulance Service paramedics and her next of kin have been made aware.
A person who lives nearby told the Liverpool Echo: "It's just so awful, you can't imagine how much the family are hurting right now. They'll be devastated."
Merseyside Police said in a statement: "At around 4.25pm, the ambulance service reported to police of a woman in her 60s being attacked by dogs inside a property on St Brigids Crescent. She was sadly pronounced deceased at the scene and her next of kin have been made aware."
Detective Inspector Gavin Mulcahy said: "We understand the shock that this incident will cause in the local community and beyond. Our officers are at the scene carrying out further enquiries so if you have any information please let us know."
More than 200 dog owners have been prosecuted in Merseyside over dog attacks in the last five years, the Echo reports. Ministry of Justice figures show that last year court proceedings were launched in 43 cases against people on Merseyside for the crime of allowing their dog to be dangerously out of control in a public place and injuring another person.
Of those, 38 resulted in a conviction, and 39 sentences were handed out by the courts. That includes one prison sentence, four suspended sentences, 10 community sentences, 18 fines, and three compensation orders. Three cases concluded with a conditional discharge.
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