Girl, 4, recovers from fox attack

A four-year-old girl who was attacked by a fox while she slept in her bedroom, is today recovering from her injuries.

Jessica Magnier-Brown was bitten on the arm by the urban pest after it slipped into the house, attracted by the smell of roast chicken, and sneaked upstairs into her bedroom.

The fox crept in through an open patio door at the youngster's home in Tufnell Park, north London, at around 10pm on Sunday.

Hearing her screams, her parents, Richard Brown and Corinne Magnier, who were watching a video in the lounge, ran to her aid to see the fox shoot past them.

French teacher Ms Magnier, 37, said: "I heard her screaming and thought she was having a nightmare so I went upstairs to her room on the first floor.

"Her door was ajar and I saw something coming out of the bedroom.

"It came rushing out. I thought it was a large cat. I couldn't imagine a fox would be in the house.

"Jessica held out her arm. We could see the teeth marks. She was shocked but she was half awake.

"I locked myself in the bedroom with her while my partner was trying to chase the fox."

The youngster was taken to Whittington Hospital's A&E department, where she was given a course of antibiotics.

"We thought she might have rabies," her mother said.

Foxes are normally timid in nature and rarely attack people, but there have been a small number of similar incidents in recent years.

A 14-week-old baby was bitten on the forehead as he slept next to his mother in Dartford, Kent, in July 2002.

Ms Magnier spoke of her horror at her daughter's experience.

"I was shocked that it could happen. I think there may be something wrong with the animal. I just couldn't believe it. When we went to the hospital, they couldn't believe it either.

"Jessica said she remembers feeling something on her shoulders."

She added that she believed it was strange that the fox had not been interested in the chicken supper that was left out in the kitchen.

"We had a roast dinner and it was very smelly. I think that might have attracted him in, but he went straight past it."

Jessica, who speaks both French and English, joked that the fox thought she was a "chicken" or a "hamburger".

The bubbly youngster, who seemed chirpy despite the encounter, has woken up in the night several times since.

Ms Magnier said the fox lived in an overgrown garden in the house next door which is managed by Islington Council.

The local authority has promised to clear the back yard and get rid of the fox today using an expert team, she said.