A seven-month-old infant was killed by a pet dog in less than a second, but her parents swiftly stepped in to protect her, according to an inquest.

The Belgian Malinois dog was seen being dragged away in security camera footage shown to Coventry Coroner’s Court. Coroner Delroy Henry said the incident as abrupt and unexpected, and medical help was called right away for Elle Doherty.

According to an hour-long inquest on Thursday, Elle sustained a catastrophic head injury at her house in Shorncliffe Road, Coundon, on the afternoon of June 16. An hour after the incident, doctors pronounced her dead.

Her parents, Sean and Natasha Doherty, left the court after expressing what Mr. Henry said was a completely reasonable request to be dismissed.

It looks like baby Elle is leaning on Zeus a little bit in the video, which is when Zeus strikes her.

Anthony Hibbert, Detective Inspector

The duo was seen sitting on and standing next to a sofa in a set of freeze-frame CCTV photos taken by an inside security camera. Elle was looking out of a nearby patio window, while the 31-kilogram dog, Zeus, was standing close by.

Later stills showed the couple guarding and holding Elle, who had fractured her head, while stepping in to take the three-year-old dog away.

Regarding the stills, Detective Inspector Anthony Hibbert concurred with Mr. Henry’s assertion that the incident happened in less than a second and that both parents acted quickly to remove Zeus from the picture and take Elle and the dog.

According to what Mr. Hibbert told the inquest, it looks like infant Elle may have been leaning on Zeus a little bit when Zeus attacked her.

Mr. Doherty told the court in writing that they bought Zeus as a puppy in October 2020 from a Gloucester breeder.

According to Mr. Doherty’s account of the deadly event, at first he believed Zeus, who had previously been trained by two separate dog specialists, had pinned down a 15-year-old French bulldog that was a second family pet.

We were just talking when Natasha yelled, “No,” the coroner said in his statement, which he read to the court. I think it was his collar that I grabbed him (Zeus).

I tossed him out. Elle sobbed on the ground. It all happened so quickly.

Unquestionably, a family has been permanently altered by this awful event. Other than to reiterate that my thoughts and prayers are with Elle’s parents and family, I don’t think there are any words I could offer to comfort them.

The coroner for the Coventry area is Delroy Henry.

Regarding Zeus, Mr. Doherty added: He got along well with both people and other dogs. The sudden appearance of another dog annoyed Zeus. He would just begin to bark.

He was never aggressive in any way.

Mrs. Doherty claimed that Zeus was a muzzled, reactive dog that got along well with other people.

According to the statement, Zeus was uninterested in Elle’s birth. He was okay, albeit he did occasionally sniff her.

The inquest heard that a dog handler was called to the scene and used a sedative dart to remove Zeus from the garden.

The veterinarian took the dog and euthanized it.

At the end of the hearing, Mr. Henry recorded a narrative verdict, stating that Elle was initially looking out of a living room window.

The coroner added: The dog has shown no signs of aggression toward baby Elle or any of the occupants of that home. Baby Elle brushed against him. I can confirm that the dog bit baby Elle s head.

Sadly, baby Elle died later that day. Baby Elle died as a result of a large dog s unexpected and unpredictable behavior in a family home.

Undoubtedly, this is a tragic incident that has forever changed a family. I don t know what words I could say to console Elle s family other than to reiterate that my heart goes out to her parents and family.

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