Horror as girl, four, dies after being bitten and 'shaken like a rag doll' by her family's French Mastiff in savage attack in her home

• Girl bitten by pet dog at home in Mountsorrel, Leicestershire, at 12.45pm
• Lexi Hudson was taken to Queen's Medical Centre Nottingham but died
• Neighbours admit they're in shock and heard her mother Jodi screaming

By Mark Duell and Hugo Gye

A four-year-old girl died today after being bitten and 'shaken like a rag doll' by a dog at her home.
Lexi Hudson was attacked at her flat in Mountsorrel, Leicestershire, with neighbours saying they heard the screams of her mother Jodi, 30, who emerged from the house with blood and mud on her.
Police were called to the home at around 12.15pm after the girl was attacked by the French Mastiff cross, believed to have been a family pet. The girl died at Queen's Medical Centre in Nottingham.

Tragic: Lexi Hudson was attacked at her flat in Mountsorrel, Leicestershire, with neighbours saying they heard the screams of her mother Jodi, 30, who emerged from the house with blood and mud on her

Killed: Lexi, four, is pictured with a French Mastif believed to be the dog that attacked her in Leicestershire

Horror: Neighbours said they heard the screams of Lexi's (left) mother Jodi Hudson (pictured together, left) who emerged from the house with blood and mud on her

Lexi, who was said to have been friendly and often played outside her home, had only recently started going to school, neighbours said, adding that her family had owned the animal for four weeks.

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Neighbour Lily Parks, 87, said: ‘She was such a lovely little girl - a dainty little thing. She had only just started school. My neighbour called me to say she thought she heard Jodi screaming.

‘I opened my window and I could hear a lot of noise. She is young, so I just thought it was some commotion. Jodi told me she had been looking after the dog for a friend.

'They had only had it about four weeks - great big thing it was. Jodi  said it had a lovely nature though - I just cannot imagine what could have happened.’

Arthur Nash, a neighbour of the family, said: ‘Everybody is in shock at the moment with her dying.

'When I saw an ambulance pull up I thought it was an old lady on the court who had had a heart attack, and then the neighbour came up and said she had been killed by the dog. We're in shock.

‘The family has a similar sort of thing to the dogs that have been going off lately, similar to the dangerous dogs. I'm not saying it was dangerous but it looked a similar dog.'

Another neighbour, Glenn Shepphard, 36, said: ‘It was a very big dog - a type I have never seen before. I saw Jodi outside with blood and mud up her arm crying outside and mud all up her legs.

Dog: Neighbours said Lexi's family had owned the animal - believed to be pictured here - for four weeks

Investigation: Leciestershire Police were called to the flat in Mountsorrel at around 12.15pm today

‘She had obviously tried to wrestle with the dog. The girl was only about four or five years old - I think she had only just started primary school. 

‘I only knew the mum to say hello to, she asked me to come across to see the new dog a couple of weeks ago. It just sat on the sofa and barked at me - it was loud but didn't seem aggressive.’

One neighbour, who did not want to be named, said: ‘She was a lovely lively little girl, always playing nearby. Her name was Lexie. We only found out she had died about an hour ago.

'I always say hello when I pass, and the little girl used to play outside - she used to say hello when she was playing. It is just such a sad shock'
Neighbour

‘The whole neighbourhood is in shock now. I heard neighbours saying how the mum told police how her daughter was shaken like a rag doll as she tried to get her free. It's stunned everyone here.’
A police spokesman said: ‘We were called to a flat in Mountsorrel at about 12.15pm following a report of a young girl being attacked by a dog, believed to be the family pet.

‘She was taken to the Queen's Medical Centre in Nottingham where she has since died.’ He added: 'Officers are carrying out inquiries at the scene. The inquiries are at a very early stage.'
And another neighbour, who also asked not to be identified, added: ‘We've seen all the activity today and I've just had a phone call from one of the neighbours to say she's died. The police have been and then the ambulance came and we heard.
‘I always say hello when I pass, and the little girl used to play outside - she used to say hello when she was playing. It is just such a shock, such a sad shock.’

Probe: The age of the girl was tonight unclear, although neighbours said they believed she was around five years old. It is not believed the dog was a breed listed under Section 1 of the Dangerous Dogs Act

Hospital: The girl was taken to Queen's Medical Centre in Nottingham but doctors could not save her

Gloria Longmire, a secretary at Mountsorrel Methodist Church, regularly walks her dogs up a nearby road. She said: ‘It's a shock, it's just a shock. It's really shook me, that is dreadful.
‘It's tragic, it is really tragic. I would say we do have a strong community here and people will be absolutely horrified, and it’s dreadful that it's a family pet.’
An East Midlands Ambulance Service spokesman said: ‘The emergency 999 call was received today at 12:05. The caller reported an injured child who had been attacked by a dog in Mountsorrel.

'I heard neighbours saying how the mum told police how her daughter was shaken like a rag doll as she tried to get her free'
Neighbour

‘We responded by dispatching clinicians in two fast response cars, a double crewed ambulance and the Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Rutland Air Ambulance. We also informed Leicestershire Police.
‘The child was taken to the Queen's Medical Centre in Nottingham where, tragically, she has since died. This was a very distressing 999 call for all concerned and we are providing support to our colleagues who responded.’

It is not believed the dog was a breed listed under Section 1 of the Dangerous Dogs Act.

The road where the attack took place is a leafy cul-de-sac on which flats are worth between £40,000 and £100,000, in the village between Loughborough and Leicester. No arrests have been made.