SUSPECTED cannabis plants were found in the house where an 11-month-old baby was mauled to death by a dog, an inquest has heard.

The information came as the senior coroner for Blackburn, Hyndburn and the Ribble Valley said Ava-Jayne Corless’s death was ‘the most horrendous’ he had seen in his 20 years in the job.

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Michael Singleton ruled that the youngster was killed in an attack by a pitbull terrier-type dog.

She suffered multiple injuries to her upper body in the savage attack.

The dog’s owner Lee Wright, 27, of Ronald Street, Blackburn, is to face a charge at magistrates court of having the custody of a fighting dog, which he denies.

Det Chief Insp Peter Simm said: “In the second bedroom, a cannabis cultivation set-up with 11 plants was found.

“He stated he did not deal drugs. He provided a blood sample to the police. He was found to have been under the influence of cannabis when the incident occurred.”

Wright has always claimed nine-stone Snoop, the dog which killed Ava-Jayne, was an American bulldog and not a banned breed, the inquest at Blackburn Coroner’s Court heard.

However, Mr Singleton heard evidence from a breed expert who said Snoop was a pitbull terrier-type dog, which would place it on the prohibited dog list.

The inquest also heard from Sian Smith, a vet at Myerscough Veterinary Group, in Clayton-le-Dale, which treated Snoop when he broke his leg. Mrs Smith told the court vets had not suspected the animal was a banned breed.

She said: “If we had had concerns at that time, we would have contacted the appropriate authorities. He did not show any signs of aggression apart from towards male members of staff. There were no problems and all medical care was carried out safely.”

The vet described Snoop as quiet, alert and responsive when she first saw him. After an operation on his leg, Wright was advised that Snoop needed complete rest.

Mrs Smith added: “I did not believe he was being used as a guarding-type dog, but maybe as a status dog.”

When Mr Singleton asked the vet if she thought Snoop was potentially dangerous, she replied: “He did show aggression in terms of growling at male people, but he was never muzzled. When the nurses were hand-feeding him we did not deem him to be a dangerous dog.”

The coroner said: “The facts as described to me meet the definition in coronial law of an accident, but I do not find the word accident to be appropriate in this case. It would be an affront to the memory of Ava-Jayne to describe the tragic events of that evening as an accident and I therefore decline to use that conclusion.

“The conclusion I shall use is this was an attack by a pitbull terrier-type dog.

“That concludes this inquest, save for me to offer my heartfelt sympathy to the family and friends of Ava-Jayne for their most grievous loss. I also extend sympathy to those people directly involved in the aftermath of these horrific events because I recognise that, for those people, the circumstances were effectively life-changing.

“I recognise that every death I deal with represents a personal tragedy for somebody. But in my 20 years of doing this job, I have to say the circumstances of the death of Ava-Jayne represent by far the most horrendous that I have experience of.”

Speaking after the hearing, Ava-Jayne’s mum Chloe King said she was ‘relieved’ that the inquest was over.

She said: “Dean and I are still grieving for the loss of Ava-Jayne, who we loved very, very dearly. There is still a hole in our hearts. We now want to be left to get on with our lives and move forwards.”