
A toddler was scalped by an out-of-control dog as she played on a slide with her sister in a children's playground.

One-year-old Victoria Resetnjova was bitten in the face and thrown in the air 'like a toy' in the Jenkins' Dale area of Chatham, Kent just before 5.30pm on Tuesday.

Doctors have now confirmed that the little girl will survive her wounds and she is being treated for 'serious injuries' in hospital.

A man, a woman and a teenage girl were arrested under the Dangerous Dogs Act. One was bailed and the others were released pending further inquiries, Kent Police confirmed today.

Victoria was playing with her 14-year-old sister Kristina when she was attacked. Witnesses said the dog jumped the fence of the play area and charged at the toddler.

Another witness told MailOnline: 'The dog ran into the park and attacked the girl under the slide. It was going for her head all the time, grabbed her and threw her up two or three times like she was a toy. It was brutal.'

Gunned down: This is the body of a large Pitbull crossed with a Staffordshire Bull Terrier after it was shot dead for attacking toddler Victoria Resetnjova in a playground

One-year-old Victoria Resetnjova (pictured with mother Valentina, left) was bitten in the face and thrown in the air 'like a toy'. Kent Police confirmed three people - a man, a woman and a teenage girl - were arrested under the Dangerous Dogs Act. Michael Thornton (pictured, right), 26, has been named locally as the man being questioned by detectives

A witness told The Sun: 'It was so gruesome. The child's scalp had been ripped off. Someone had to actually pick it up and take it into the ambulance.'

She was pulled from the dog's jaws by up to six other bloodied children and flown to a London Hospital by air ambulance as armed police shot the animal dead.

Her parents, Sergei and Valentina Resetnjova, are believed to be at her bedside - Mr Resetnjova answered his mobile phone this afternoon but said: 'I've got no comment.'

Michael Thornton, 26, has been named locally as the man being questioned by detectives.

A relative of Mr Thornton's told the Mirror: 'My heart goes out to that family and the little baby. I wouldn't be able to live if my dog's done something to anybody - no matter how old. I haven't spoken to him, I can't even go and see him.'

A brave woman who tried to save her life today described how she heard Victoria's blood-curdling scream from her flat.

The woman, who did not want to be named, said that she watched as the dog which was on a lead kept its grip on the tot's head and 'refused to let go'.

A teenage girl was holding the lead and hitting the animal with a stick to force it to release the child, she says.

The woman then rushed to the park in Jenkins Dale, Chatham, with a first aid kit then held the girl, believed to be aged 18 months, in her arms.

Crime scene: This is the playground slide where the toddler was playing when she was mauled and scalped by the dog in front of at least six other terrified children (pictured today)

She said: 'The dog was covered in the little girl's blood. It had bitten the middle of her head off. It was completely missing and I was holding her head together.

'When I got down there one of the girls was pulling the baby's legs but the dog wouldn't let go of her head.

'The three teenage girls were all crying and the dog was on the lead the whole time.

'When they eventually got the dog off I tried to bandage the little girl up and called up for neighbours to bring down some towels and we bundled her up.

'When the paramedics came I held the baby's hand until her parents arrived.

'It was awful and something that will stay with me for a long time.'

The horrifying attack on Tuesday left the tot fighting for her life but police confirmed today/yesterday (Thurs) that she remains in hospital with serious injuries.

Neighbour Alisha Robinson described the chaotic aftermath of the attack.

She said: 'They said we need lots of towels because she is losing a lot of blood. They were trying to keep her alive.

'You couldn't see her face, she was covered in blood. Then her mum came up screaming, that did it for me, I wanted to cry. People were throwing blankets from the balcony above because she was cold.'

Mother-of-five Katy Ayres claimed the same dog had 'pinned down' her son Charlie 24 hours before and said: 'It scratched his leg - but the little girl, it ripped holes in her head'.

Tragedy: The dog began biting her head and face. Signs show that dogs are banned from the area - but witnesses said it had been there for much of the day

Upset: Mother-of-five Katy Ayres (pictured left) believes the same dog had attacked her son Charlie on Monday, and suffered a scratch on his leg (right)

The victim's terrified mother, who was reportedly at work and left her children with a childminder, ran over screaming as people gave first aid and wrapped her in a blanket to 'keep her alive'.

Describing the attack one witness said: 'The baby's head was being shaken in the dog's mouth and it was covered in blood. It was absolutely horrific and there were about six children aged eight to twelve covered in blood who witnessed it all.'

A family friend told MailOnline: 'It was just a complete mess - a brutal mess. Everyone was screaming'. Another said the child was thrown around like a toy, adding: 'Police did the right thing. Round here they call them trophy dogs - once they get the taste for blood they won't stop'.

Armed police called to the scene yelled at crowds to 'stand back' before they 'shot it twice', one witness said, and the dead pitbull-type dog, described as 'crazy and very strong', was photographed being covered with a blanket.

Ms Ayres believes the same dog had attacked her son Charlie on Monday.

She said: 'He pinned him down. I grabbed my son to protect him and the dog jumped up. It scratched his leg and he has bruises.

'The police came and took pictures of the scratch. It happened all so fast. I said that day to my brother that dog will end up hurting someone, and it happened.

She added: 'I'm lost for words . I hope that little girl is going to be OK. It could have been my son. I'm in shock really. I said to my brother I bet it goes for someone. And I bet it's a child'.

Rescue: The child was rescued by up to six other children and then flown by air ambulance to a London hospital

Describing the attack on the toddler yesterday she said: 'I heard screaming. I saw the girl carrying the little girl from that end of the park and I see all blood running down her head'.

James Hamilton, who lives in a flat overlooking the play area said the dog was in the park for most of the day on Tuesday.

Mr Hamilton saw the toddler bitten by the dog several times and spoke to her parents afterwards and believes they may be Polish.

Shut down: This is the flat believed to belong to the couple who have been arrested since the dog attack

He said: 'I saw the dog with the child in its mouth. My partner had seen the dog pick up the girl and drop her twice. I saw it do it another time. It was shaking her around.

'The little girl was lying there. She was conscious and her eyes were rolling back. I think she was in shock.

'She had an eye wound - looked like an open gash. And an injury to the back of her head which was bleeding. She was awake.'

'She was so tiny. We were only in the park five minutes before with our little girls. I was in tears myself. I hope I never see that again.'

Neighbours say that the dog may have lived in this flat overlooking the playground and the owners may have only just got it

Some witnesses said the dog had been on this grass area without a lead for much of yesterday before the mauling took place

Operation: Officers in Chatham were called to reports that the toddler, who is believed to be about 18 months old, had been bitten and was severely injured just before 5.30pm. She was treated by these flats were residents rushed to help

Investigation: Police sealed off the area last night and arrested two people, who remain in custody today

Mr Hamilton said police arrived at the scene but the dog kept getting loose.

He added: 'A lad was holding the dog on a lead by now. It was just standing there. The police came and I told them it needed to be put down. They said it will be done. It kept getting loose from it's collar and then they shot it.'

Neighbours said they heard a gun fired and saw a child covered with a blanket being carried to an ambulance.

Jaspreet Uppal said: 'First I heard a gunshot, there was a dog on the floor. A few officers carried out a child from the back area of the flats.

'There is a little park there. I could not see the child, they were covered. I think they were quite small.'

Another neighbour added: 'I saw the aftermath, the emergency services do a excellent job it's times likes these we should be so grateful they act so quickly.'

Detectives were pictured filling evidence bags in a small park behind a block of flats in the hours after the attack - the dog is believed to have leapt over this fence

The injured child was airlifted to a London hospital in a critical condition after being attacked in the Jenkins' Dale are of Chatham, Kent, last night

The young girl is being treated in hospital for 'serious injuries' and the three suspects have been released on bail, Kent Police said today.

A spokesman for the force added: ''The South East Coast Ambulance Service and the Kent, Surrey and Sussex Air Ambulance Service also attended and the injured child, of toddler age, was taken to a London hospital in a critical condition.

'The child continues to be treated for very serious injuries, but these are no longer described as life threatening.

'Following the incident, police, including firearms officers, attended the scene and to ensure public safety the dog was shot dead.

'A man and a teenager, both from Chatham, were arrested on the evening of 4 April on suspicion of offences under the Dangerous Dogs Act.

'On the evening of 5 April, the man was bailed pending further enquiries, until Wednesday 26 April 2017. The teenager was released, pending further enquiries.

'On Wednesday 5 April, a woman from Chatham was also arrested in connection with the incident and she has also been released, pending further enquiries.

'Enquiries are ongoing to establish the breed of the dog which will include a necropsy (post mortem) and an expert's view.'

The attack comes just days after armed police were forced to shoot dead a pack of dogs that went on a rampage in Manchester.

Detectives cordoned off a small park and children's play area (left and right) on the estate. A neighbour said: 'A few officers carried out a child from the back area of the flats'

Three people were arrested in connection with the attack and remain in police custody pending further enquiries