THE pitbull dog which killed four-year-old John Paul Massey was returned to the family by police when it went missing a few months earlier, a court was told.

The youngster’s grandmother, Helen Foulkes, 63, yesterday admitted possession of a pitbull type dog at Liverpool Magistrates’ Court.

John Paul died after being mauled by the animal, called Uno, as he slept at Foulkes’ home in Ash Grove, Wavertree, on November 30 last year.

But yesterday, magistrates were told Uno went missing from Foulkes’ home last summer and was returned by police.

The court was told Foulkes assumed this meant the dog was a legal breed.

Laurence Lee, defending, said: “The dog was lost and police brought it back to the house – there was no suggestion that it was an illegal dog.”

Merseyside Police last night denied any involvement, saying: “Officers looked into this claim at the time and found no evidence of this at all.”

Joanne Parsons, prosecuting, told District Judge Ian Lomax how Foulkes was babysitting John Paul when the dog, described by a vet as an animal which “oozed phenomenal power and strength” and had an “immense muscle mass”, attacked him.

She said: “The dog pounced on the little boy, attacking his face and neck.”

The court heard Foulkes was badly bitten herself as she wrestled the dog off the child and into the garden, where police officers and ambulance crew found it in a “frenzied state”.

Ms Parsons said: “Police officers had to distract the dog to allow the ambulance crew to get to the boy.”