AN 84-YEAR-OLD woman described as a “stunning beauty” in her younger days has been horribly scarred in a vicious dog attack.

The elderly victim, who is just five foot tall, was walking along St John’s Wood High Street when she suddenly came face-to-face with a fierce-looking Bullmastiff.

She attempted to avoid the huge canine, but within seconds it had knocked her into the road and sunk its teeth into her face.

Onlookers said the dog mauled the helpless pensioner while the owner apparently stood and did nothing to stop his out-of-control pet.

He then took his animal and fled the scene, leaving the elderly woman collapsed on the street covered in blood.

Describing his mother’s horrific ordeal, the victim’s son Haydn Haynes said: “Someone was coming down the road with a Bullmastiff.

“My mother said it was a magnificent looking dog. She said she’d never seen such a big dog and the guys in the shop said it looked like a ‘killer’.

“The dog jumped at her and she tried to avoid it but it got her and bit her face. It was on a lead so you would think as soon as the owner saw the dog going for her he would have tried to hold it back. But someone said he was gone like a shot.”

Mr Haynes said his mother, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of reprisals, was rushed to hospital after the attack and had to have between 18 and 20 stitches to her face.

The damage along her jawline was so bad doctors say she may now have to undergo plastic surgery. Her son said this will come as major blow because in the past she has been known as a great beauty.

“My father used to say years ago that cars would stop to look at her she was that stunning,” he said.

“Even now you can see she was beautiful. The doctors said the tissue underneath her skin has been destroyed and now they have got to do surgery because the flesh underneath won’t knit together.

“She’s obviously shaken up because she always makes herself up everyday and now she’s just sat there in her dressing gown. She looks like she’s been hit by a bomb (see picture top right).

“I want to see this guy caught and prosecuted. The dog obviously needs to be destroyed because if he’s done this once he could do it again and next time it could be a little child.”

The violent episode took place between 4pm and 5pm last Saturday outside Kent & Sons butchers shop on St John’s Wood High Street. Lee Rafas, from the butchers, said he did not see the attack, but viewed the aftermath.

He said: “It was a big brown dog – a scary looking thing. The owner was a young guy with short brown hair and quite stocky. He looked English, he was wearing grey tracksuit bottoms, a dark-coloured T-shirt and was around 5ft 8inches tall.”

A Westminster Police spokeswoman said there had been no arrests and enquiries were ongoing. Anyone with any information about Saturday’s incident is asked to contact Westminster Police on 020-7321 9631.