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Jade Anderson: tributes paid to girl attacked by dogs Jade Anderson: tributes paid to girl attacked by dogs
(about 9 hours later)
The family and friends of a 14-year-old girl who was found dead at a house surrounded by a pack of out-of-control dogs have paid tribute to a "lively" and "smart" girl. The death of a 14-year-old girl in Greater Manchester who was savaged by dogs must be a wake-up call to the government, MPs and charities have warned.
Jade Anderson, who was discovered at an address in Atherton, Wigan, with wounds consistent with a dog attack, was declared dead at the scene by paramedics. Her family have been left devastated by her death, police said. The calls come as it emerged that the death of Jade Anderson, who was discovered at a house containing five "out of control" dogs in Atherton, near Wigan on Tuesday, may not lead to any criminal prosecutions. Police confirmed they were investigating if any criminal offences had been committed.
The breed of the dogs has not yet been confirmed but two are thought to have been bull mastiffs and two Staffordshire bull terriers. Four dogs were shot dead by armed police at the scene, while a fifth was safely contained and remains with police. Tory MP Anne McIntosh, chair of the select committee on environment, food and rural affairs, said the government must implement stricter regulations around the control of dangerous dogs to prevent further tragedies.
Superintendent Mark Kenny of Greater Manchester police said Jade's family was receiving the support of a police family liaison officer as the investigation into the circumstances continued. McIntosh said the government had failed to take action on proposals to change the law surrounding dangerous dogs put forward by the select committee on 15 February. Recommendations would see laws extended to include dogs on private property and could see the introduction of dog control notices, which are used in Scotland, which can be issued by police or local authorities.
"This remains a deeply distressing incident for everyone involved and the wider community and our thoughts continue to be with Jade's family. They are understandably devastated by what has happened, as are Jade's circle of friends," he said. The government had to draft legislation "as a matter of urgency", McIntosh said. "Five or six weeks later and we have not seen anything. We stand ready to scrutinise that legislation. We said that any act on a person particularly by a dog acting dangerously should be regarded as criminal activity."
"Our response is now twofold – to continue to provide whatever support is necessary to the family alongside a painstaking investigation to establish the truth of what happened. With that in mind we still have a small scene at the house and residents will continue to see an increased police presence today and in the coming days. A postmortem will be carried out later today after which we hope to know more about how Jade died." She added: "It's such a tragedy to see such an attractive teenage girl lose her life in such an act of violence caused by five dogs, seemingly without any adult supervision. It's a wake-up call for the government to bring forward the proposals. The law should be there to protect vulnerable members of the public such as Jade."
The headteacher at Fred Longworth high school in Tyldesley, where Jade was a pupil, paid tribute to the girl. "We are all deeply shocked and saddened by Jade's tragic death," she said. Jade was discovered with wounds consistent with a dog attack and was declared dead at the scene by paramedics. Her family have been left devastated by her death, police said.
"She had only been a pupil at the school since the summer but had made a real impact in that short time. Jade was a lively student who always had a smile on her face. She loved music and dance and was a regular at our after-school dancing club. At what turned out to be her last day at school, Jade was given a progress report by her teachers and was told that everyone was delighted with the progress she was making. She will be greatly missed by the school community. Our thoughts and sympathies are with her family and friends at this terrible time." The breed of the dogs has not been confirmed but two are thought to have been bull mastiffs and two staffordshire bull terriers. Four dogs were shot dead by armed police at the scene, while a fifth was safely contained and remains with police.
There were flowers and soft toys left outside the house where Jade died. One message, attached to a pink teddy bear, read: "We were blessed to have known you, you were a smart girl forever in our hearts. Simply the best. God bless from Peter, Nicola, Grandad Jack, Samuel and Lilly Rose. God bless your family." Supt Mark Kenny said police were trying to establish exactly what happened and expected the investigation to take a "considerable" time. "We are not going to jump to any conclusions, we want to work out exactly what has happened before we make any decisions," he said. No one has been arrested and Kenny said the dogs' owner, who was out of the house when the attack took place, had been interviewed and was co-operating with police. "There is an investigation which will establish whether there are criminal offences so we are speaking to everybody who was involved to establish what has happened. They are in shock as well and we have got to find out what happened for them, too."
Another card said: "To Jade. RIP Princess. We had lots of fun times together, I will miss you. Jessica W." Specialist vets will confirm the dogs' breed and establish if they were legal. Police had not been called to the property on previous incidents, Kenny added.
Local resident Deanne Bamber, 19, who owns six dogs, including a border collie, shih tzus and Lhasa apsos, said Jade's death was "awful". Chief executive of Guide Dogs, Richard Leaman, called the law on dangerous dogs "totally inadequate". He said: "We welcome the compulsory microchipping of all dogs in England from 2016, but this is only the first step. The current law on dangerous dogs is totally inadequate and must be changed as a matter of urgency.
"It's an awful thing what's happened to Jade. It's also an eye-opener. She shouldn't have been on her own with all those dogs – not at her age anyway," she said. "We will continue to put pressure on the Home Office to ensure that irresponsible owners who breed, train and incite their dogs to behave badly are punished."
"We always knew the dogs were at the house because when we walk our dogs past they all start barking. But to be fair, they have never done anything to make me worried." Eight guide dogs are attacked by other dogs every month, he said. "Until the law is made more robust, irresponsible dog owners will continue to escape sanction."
Jack Palmer, another man who said he was a neighbour on a Facebook page paying tribute to the youngster, said the accident could have been "preventable". Kim Hamilton, chief executive of the animal welfare charity Blue Cross, said current dog legislation was putting children at risk.
He wrote: "This is really tragic and was preventable. We live right across the road from where this has happened. It's awful, still can't stop thinking about this, those dogs were mental, you could tell they was when u walk past. Our thoughts go out to the friends and family R.I.P Jade x." "All our thoughts are with Jade's family and friends but until we see a radical overhaul of the law that allows authorities to step in at the first sign of aggressive behaviour these shocking incidents will continue to happen."
Jade's family and friends paid tribute to a "lively" and "smart" girl. Jan Garretts, headteacher at Fred Longworth high school in Tyldesley, where she was a pupil, said: "We are all deeply shocked and saddened by Jade's tragic death," she said.
"She had only been a pupil at the school since the summer but had made a real impact in that short time. Jade was a lively student who always had a smile on her face. She loved music and dance and was a regular at our after-school dancing club. At what turned out to be her last day at school, Jade was given a progress report by her teachers and was told that everyone was delighted with the progress she was making."
Flowers and soft toys were left outside the house. One message, attached to a pink teddy bear, read: "We were blessed to have known you, you were a smart girl forever in our hearts. Simply the best. God bless from Peter, Nicola, Grandad Jack, Samuel and Lilly Rose. God bless your family."