Fatal Coventry dog attack victim may been epileptic fit

A woman who was mauled to death by her pet dog may have suffered an epileptic seizure which triggered the attack, an inquest has heard.

Kelly Reilly loved her dog “like a baby” before it caused severe injuries to her head and throat on July 22 in her maisonette in Wexford Road, Wood End, Coventry Coroner’s Court heard.

On Tuesday, area coroner Delroy Henry concluded her death was an accident after hearing that Ms Reilly, 33, often suffered with fits “out of the blue” which caused her to collapse “with no recollection or control”.

Her sister, Kirsty Reilly, said the dog, an American bulldog called Mendoza, had never shown aggressive behaviour before.

She told the court the pet had been adopted as a puppy in 2022.

“She loved it literally like a baby,” she said.

“She was a lovely dog and if Kelly did not love her as much as she did I would have had her.

“She was really nice. She would sleep with Kelly in her bedroom.”

Ms Reilly added her sister had suffered two seizures in the six or seven weeks before she died, and one of those lasted eight minutes.

Consultant pathologist Dr Hesham El-Daly, who performed a post-mortem examination, said Kelly Reilly sustained bruising to her head from the fall and suffered “significant” injuries consistent with a dog bite, including a severed throat.

Dr El-Daly agreed that Ms Reilly did not sustain any defensive injuries, meaning the attack was either “quick and ferocious” or she was “not in control of her body”, which is a feature of epilepsy.

Concluding the inquest, Mr Henry said: “Tragedy comes along through unintended actions with wholly unintended consequences, and in my mind that’s what happened with Kelly here.

“I have seen before me a strong family demonstrating a strength by attending this inquest and the strength to listen to the evidence.

“I am sure that Kelly would be really proud of you.”