RESULTS expected today from a post-mortem on a dog that killed a five-year-old girl will determine whether the animal was a breed subject to the Dangerous Dogs Act.

Ellie Lawrenson was mauled to death early yesterday morning by an adult pit bull terrier-type dog called Reuben despite desperate attempts by her grandmother to save her.

A post-mortem on Ellie revealed she died of "severe head and neck injuries", police said.

Owners of pure-bred pit bull terriers are legally to blame for attacks made by them under the provisions of the 1991 Dangerous Dogs Act.

The tragic death of a child described as "the loveliest girl you could ever meet" has left the community around Knowles House Avenue, in St Helens, Merseyside, in shock.

The dog's owner - Ellie's uncle - had been officially warned about his pet's behaviour in June last year.

A spokeswoman for St Helens Council said the warning letter had been sent to the uncle, named locally as Kiel Simpson, after a neighbour said the animal had attacked his dog in May.

Several people on the council estate are reported to have said the animal had violent tendencies and at least one other neighbour claimed he and his dog were attacked by Reuben.

Jackie Simpson, 46, had been baby-sitting her granddaughter while the mother, named locally as Lyndsay, was out celebrating New Year.

Ms Simpson also suffered serious injuries in the deadly assault.

She underwent emergency surgery to tendons in her arm and serious wounds to her thumb and elbow at Whiston Hospital yesterday afternoon but is now stable, according to police.

St Helens council and Merseyside Police were last night looking through their records to find out more about the dog's past.

This morning, they are having what police described as a routine meeting about Reuben, which is closed to the public.

The fiancé of Ellie's other grandmother, who did not wish to be named, said of the family: "They are all in shock, they're too upset to talk.

"She was just the loveliest girl you could hope to meet.

"We can't deal with all this attention, we're just in shock."

Some neighbours spoke about how they had seen Ellie stroking the dog in the past and expressed shock that it had attacked her.

But a 69-year-old man who lives in Knowle House Avenue told how he was once attacked by Reuben.

The man, who did not wish to be named, said: "I was walking my dog early one morning in September last year when I was attacked by that animal outside their house.

"It was jumping up at me, really going at me, but I managed to hold it at bay with my walking stick."