Cash seized from dog attack home

Ellie Lawrenson was attacked by a family pet

Detectives investigating the fatal mauling of a five-year-old girl have seized cash from the Merseyside home where she was attacked.

Ellie Lawrenson suffered severe injuries when she was savaged by her uncle's pit bull terrier-type dog at her grandmother's house in St Helens.

Police investigating the attack on New Year's Day have spent the last few days examining the house for clues.

In a separate inquiry, eight dogs have been seized in raids across the region.

A 23-year-old man was questioned in connection with the inquiry into Ellie's death after attending a police station voluntarily.

Post-mortem tests showed the dog that killed Ellie was among the breeds prohibited by the Dangerous Dogs Act.

We can confirm that an amount of cash has been seized from the house, along with a number of items which will be subject to forensic examinations Police spokeswoman

Anyone convicted of owning a prohibited dog can face a £5,000 fine or six months in prison under the 1991 Act.

On Friday, a spokeswoman for Merseyside Police refused to confirm how much cash had been taken from the house, or the nature of the other items.

She said: "We can confirm that an amount of cash has been seized from the house, along with a number of items which will be subject to forensic examinations."

Merseyside Police said there was "no evidence at this stage" to link dogs seized in earlier raids in St Helens and Widnes with Ellie's death.

Some of the dogs allegedly had cropped ears which officers believe could be a sign they were being trained for fighting.

Dogs amnesty

A 31-year-old man has been interviewed under caution in relation to the raids, but has not been arrested.

In a separate incident, police raided a house in Croxteth, Liverpool, and seized eight pit bull type dogs.

A 37-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of possession of Class A drugs and possession of a dog prohibited under the Dangerous Dogs Act.

In the St Helens attack, Ellie's grandmother, 46-year-old Jackie Simpson, required emergency surgery on severe arm injuries she suffered while battling to control the 12-month-old dog.

She has now been released from hospital but remains too traumatised to be interviewed, the force said.

The chief constable of Merseyside Police has called for an amnesty on dangerous dogs following the fatal attack and Labour's Louise Ellman, MP for Liverpool Riverside, believes it should be extended nationwide.

"I think it is a good initiative, since it will give people the chance to have their dogs checked to see if they are banned or not, without fear of their owners being arrested."

Mrs Ellman also said there should be a longer-term review of how the Dangerous Dogs Act is operating and whether there is a need for any changes.