Boy, 5, savaged by dog

SCARRED: five-year-old Muhammad Abdullah Shahid

A BRAVE five-year-old boy has been left permanently scarred after being savaged by an out-of-control dog.

Muhammad Abdullah Shahid needed emergency plastic surgery to deep facial wounds and was also left with horrific cuts to his arms, hips and head.

His mother, Samra Saher, has been left so scared of living in Oldham after the attack that the pair are moving to London today.

She frantically attempted to protect her boy from the the dog, believed to be a large, black rottweiler, which viciously tore into the youngster’s body in Derker on Thursday afternoon.

Speaking at their home yesterday, Samra (32) recollected the terrifying experience when they walked home from school and has ultimately forced them to make a new life elsewhere.

She said: “We normally get the bus, but we decided to walk as it was a sunny day and I noticed this dog coming towards us.

“I always thought don’t run, so we walked very slowly, but then it got really close to us, going for my son’s scarf. I threw the scarf away to try and get rid of it, but it just circled us and kept going for my son.

“I was trying to fend it away with my arm, but it got hold of his hoodie, jumped on him and dragged him into the road.”

Helpful passers-by hurried to the scene and eventually got Abdullah and his mother into a car to rush them away. Samra said she saw the same dog with a man moments later as they drove away.

A woman claimed she heard a man shouting the animal over to him after the attack, which happened around 3.20pm on Stoneleigh Street.

But police revealed that the dog, which had no collar, has not been found and neither has the owner.

Samra added: “My son was not crying, he was conscious, but there was blood everywhere.

“I just can’t understand why people have these dogs off their leads. Abdullah was just getting over his fear of dogs. We go the park and he is wary, but I tell him it’s OK, don’t be scared. Then this happens.”

Samra and her son came to England in March seeking asylum after leaving Pakistan. They settled in Oldham in September and Abdullah joined Mayfield Primary School.

The attack came on the same day as the Sentencing Council unveiled plans for tougher punishments for owners of dangerous dogs. Under new guidelines, those responsible for a dog that has acted dangerously in a public place could face a maximum of two years in prison.

Sergeant Howard Barker from the Oldham East Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: “Officers were quickly on the scene and gave assistance to the woman and her child, who were understandably shocked and upset. We had extra officers speaking to residents, offering reassurance and trying to identify the dog and its owner.

“We are continuing with these inquiries and if anyone has any information that might help us please get in touch.”

Anyone with information should call police on 0161-856 8891, or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.