A grandmother died after being mauled by a 12-stone bulldog during a ‘series of attacks’ while babysitting her granddaughter, an inquest heard.

Elizabeth Walton, 72, sustained ‘extreme injuries’ after being attacked by the animal, which she was ‘familiar’ with, while looking after the youngster during the holidays on August 10 last year.

Mrs Walton, known as Ray, suffered bite wounds to her legs and buttocks and had to have an arm amputated following the attack, the inquest at Haverfordwest County Hall was told.

She never regained consciousness after being airlifted to hospital and died in the early hours of September 1 having contracted sceptic shock and pneumonia as a result of her injuries.

Mrs Walton had gone to her daughter’s home in Goodwick, Pembrokeshire, to help with childcare during the summer holidays.

The inquest heard she was a regular visitor to the property, where her daughter Leah and partner Ryan Joshua kept a number of dogs. She had been alone the house while her granddaughter was playing outside when the incident took place.

Coroner’s officer Lisa Jenkins said Mrs Walton found lying on the floor of a utility room surrounded by ‘a large amount of blood’ by her son-in-law when he returned home from work.

Ms Jenkins added: ‘It was clear to him one of the dogs had attacked.’

Police confirmed at the time that the animal, an American bulldog, was not banned under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991. The pet, named Rex, was put down following the attack.

The inquest heard Mrs Walton was still conscious and complained of feeling cold after the attack, so her son-in-law covered her with a blanket while her daughter phoned 999.

She was airlifted to Morriston hospital in Swansea where she was treated for ‘extreme injuries to her legs and buttocks’ and had one of her arms amputated.

Her medical cause of death was given as a heart attack and ventilator induced pneumonia, sceptic shock and fatal dog bite injuries.

Acting senior coroner for Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire Paul Bennet recorded a conclusion of accidental death.

He described it as ‘one of those tragic situations’ where a dog has launched ‘a series of attacks’.

Mr Bennet went on: ‘The dog attack and bites seem wholly logical to be as a result of an unintended act of the dog.

‘The sad fact that for whatever reason Mrs Walton was the victim of this incident. And in that sense of the word, has been subjected to an accident.’

He offered his condolences to her family, who were not present at the inquest, describing her death as a ‘very tragic loss’.

Pembrokeshire born and bred, Mrs Walton was an only child, and had worked for Stena Line Ferries before taking a job with the Vincent Davies home store in Haverfordwest.

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