A man whose niece was mauled to death by his dog has been interviewed by police.
Kiel Simpson, 23, went to a police station voluntarily on Wednesday night where he was questioned about the attack which killed five-year-old Ellie Lawrenson in St Helens, Merseyside.
Mr Simpson left the police station without being arrested.
A spokeswoman for Merseyside Police said the investigation into Ellie's death was continuing.
Detectives are still waiting to talk to her grandmother Jackie Simpson, 46, who suffered serious arm injuries after she attempted to save the little girl from the crazed pit bull terrier type dog.
She remains in hospital and is said to be too traumatised to speak about the incident.
Ellie was killed by the animal in the early hours of New Year's Day while staying at Mrs Simpson's home.
The one-year-old dog, named Reuben, was shot dead by police at the scene. It is understood the dog belonged to Mr Simpson, who lived in the same house.
He was sent two warning letters by St Helens Borough Council after the dog attacked another animal and annoyed neighbours with noisy barking.
There are more than 1,000 pit bull terriers in the UK, 16 years after the breed was banned, due to a series of loopholes in the law, it was reported in the Daily Mirror.
