Dog kills owner in horror attack

Witnessed looked on in horror as railway engineer James Rehill, 78, was savaged by his rottweiler in Newham, east London.

Residents armed with baseball bats desperately tried to free Mr Rehill as the dog inflicted horrific injuries to his face and head. It was only when police officers arrived and discharged six fire extinguishers that the dog was distracted and released its owner.

Paramedics took the seriously injured man to Royal London Hospital after the incident at about 7am on Sunday but he later died.

Armed officers, who were called to the scene to protect the public, found the dog a short distance away and shot it.

Metropolitan Police Commander Nick Bracken said: "This is a very tragic incident and our thoughts today are obviously with the family and friends of the deceased man. This was a difficult situation to deal with but officers, fearing for the safety of other members of the public, dealt swiftly to contain the dog - putting their own lives at risk in doing so."

The attack, in New City Road, Newham, has reignited the debate around the ownership of potentially dangerous dogs.

One witness Aziz Rahman, 32, said dogs like rottweilers should not be allowed out in public. He said: "It was like something you see in a TV programme. I heard some banging on the door. I looked out of my bedroom window.

"There was a man lying on the floor and a dog was over him, licking and biting him. He looked like a doll, the dog was pulling at him. From what I saw, it looked like he was attacking the man. There was blood all over his face."

Mr Rahman said the man was treated "like a piece of meat" and described the police officers who rescued him as "heroes". He added: "My wife could not believe it. She got frightened. Now she's thinking it's fairly scary to go to the local shops on her own."