Man sought after mastiff kills dog at harbourside

Police want to speak to this man about a recent dog attack in Bristol

Police are seeking a man in connection with an attack in which a mastiff-type dog fatally mauled a blind Havanese on a busy harbourside.

The Havanese, Max, was being walked by owner Charlotte Sipson in Hanover Place on Bristol's Spike Island when the attacking dog came "out of nowhere, like a bolt from the blue".

Investigators have now released an image of a man they would like to speak to following the incident at 16:00 BST on 8 August. He is described as about 5ft 10in tall and of slim build.

He was wearing a grey baseball cap, black T-shirt, grey jogging bottoms and carrying a small bag. The dog is described as a grey short-haired mastiff or pit bull type.

Max with his owners Joe McKenna (left) and Charlotte Sipson

Ms Sipson, who is seven months pregnant, had been walking with a friend and the friend's baby when the dog clamped its jaws around the 11-year-old Havanese.

She told the BBC that once the dog had let go, a few people tried to get hold of it, before it began circling a group of small children.

Ms Sipson, 32, said it was then grabbed by the man in the police image, who left the scene without apologising or giving details.

She and partner Joe McKenna, 34, later spoke out to warn others using the waterfront route about the "dangerous" dog.

Anyone with any information is asked to contact Avon and Somerset Police.