Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Fatal XL Bully Attack

A 41-year-old aspiring rapper from Addlestone, Surrey, was sentenced to 10 years and three months in prison on Tuesday after being convicted of owning an XL bully dog that fatally mauled a 68-year-old woman in her care at a home in Jaywick, Essex. The attack on Esther Martin occurred on February 3, 2024, just two days after a nationwide ban on the breed took effect, marking the first fatal incident involving an XL bully since the law's implementation.

Ashley Warren had asked Martin, who stood at 5 feet 3 inches and suffered from mobility issues including arthritis, to look after two adult XL bully dogs named Bear and Beauty, along with eight puppies of the same breed, while he traveled to London to film a music video. The dogs, which prosecutors described as towering and powerful with a combined weight exceeding 30 stone for the adults alone, belonged to Warren and his girlfriend. Martin had no prior experience handling such animals and lacked any formal dog training, according to court testimony.

Hours after Martin's arrival at Warren's residence on Hillman Avenue, the dogs attacked her in a sustained assault that lasted at least 12 minutes. She suffered dozens of severe...