WARNING: This story contains a video which readers may find distressing


A man whose home CCTV filmed a dog being attacked in the street says police still have not called or visited him, more than a month after he reported it.

Colin Aylward’s security camera filmed a man appearing to whip a suspected XL Bully with its leash, shouting and swearing at it, and lifting it up twice by its throat, on May 22.

He reported it immediately, but on June 3 the Post reported that he was still waiting for officers to make contact and collect his footage.

The Metropolitan Police Service told us officers would be in touch with him soon.

But as of June 27, he says he has still heard nothing from the force.

“If this dog one day attacks and kills, then blood is truly on their hands,” he said.

Earlier this month, expert dog trainer Sarah Easterbrook reviewed the footage – shot in Chittys Lane, Dagenham – for the Post.

“This is exactly the sort of thing that can cause aggression,” she confirmed. “It’s just absolutely awful.

“It shouldn’t be happening to any dog anywhere and if it is repeated then the dog will either just shut down and stop eating and all that, or eventually become an aggressive dog.”

Mrs Easterbrook said the dog appeared to be “a bully breed of some kind” but it could not be definitively said to be an XL Bully without measuring it.

She described the police’s inaction as “crazy”.

The Met Police said at the time: “The incident has been flagged to local officers who will make an appointment to attend the venue with a view to progressing the report.”

But Colin said that despite this statement to the press, no officers had ever telephoned him, visited him, taken a statement from him or collected his CCTV footage.

“I’ve not had any missed withheld numbers at all,” he said. “I’ve had no-one come to my door. Don’t forget, I have CCTV and can check every minute of every day. I get notified if it detects someone or motion.

"There’s zero chance I missed anything… I’ve had no emails. I’ve even checked junk folders.”

The Met Police said its investigation was “very much ongoing” and that while it had not collected Colin’s CCTV, it had collected some from elsewhere.

It did not comment on why nobody had contacted Colin for more than a month.