Dog which killed toddler in St Helens wasn't a banned breed

Police investigating the death of a todder in St Helens, who was attacked by the family dog, say the animal was not a banned breed.

17 month old Bella-Rea Birch died on Monday afternoon, and the family are continuing to receive support from specially trained officers.

Tests have now confirmed the dog was an American Bully XL, which is not subject to any prohibitions under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991.

Anyone with any information that might assist enquiries is asked to contact us via our social media desk on Twitter at @MerPolCC or 'Merseyside Police Contact Centre' on Facebook, quoting reference 22000196837.

Alternatively, you can call the independent charity @CrimestoppersUK anonymously, on 0800 555 111. You can also use their online form at: https://crimestoppers-uk.org/give-information/give-information.

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• Merseyside Police