XL Bully owners charged in Bootle after child seriously injured

The boy was taken to hospital for the treatment of serious head injuries and is in a serious but stable condition.

A man and a woman have been charged after an eight-year-old boy was seriously injured when he was bitten on the head by an XL bully dog.

Officers were called to Wadham Road in Bootle, Merseyside, just after 5.20pm on Saturday following a report that the dog had bitten a child on the head in the communal area of flats nearby.

The boy was taken to hospital for the treatment of serious head injuries, where he remains in a serious but stable condition, Merseyside Police said.

Officers seized the dog which was destroyed later on Saturday with the agreement of the owner.

Amanda Young, 49, and Lewis Young, 30, both of Wadham Road in Bootle, have been charged with being a person in charge of a dog dangerously out of control and causing injury.

They have been remanded in custody to appear at Liverpool Magistrates’ Court on Monday.

They are not related to the victim.

House-to-house inquiries have been carried out in the area and all CCTV opportunities are being explored, the force said.

As of 31 December 2023, it is against the law in England and Wales to:

• sell an XL Bully dog 
• abandon an XL Bully dog 
• give away an XL Bully dog 
• breed from an XL Bully dog 
• have an XL Bully dog in public without a lead and muzzle (dogs must also be muzzled if they are travelling in a vehicle) 

As of 1 February 2024, it is a criminal offence to own and breed this dog in England and Wales unless your dog has a Certificate of Exemption. 

For more guidance if you own an XL Bully click here. For the latest news in Liverpool click here.