XL Bully Owner Jailed 5 Years for Fatal Attack

Ian Price, a 52-year-old father of two from Stonnall, Staffordshire, was mauled to death by two XL Bully dogs on September 14, 2023, while attempting to return one of the animals to its owner's home. The owner, James Harrison TrimblePettitt, 33, was sentenced to five years in prison on February 12, 2024, at Stafford Crown Court after pleading guilty to two counts of owning a dog dangerously out of control that caused Mr. Price's death.

The attack occurred around 3:10 p.m. on Main Street in Stonnall. Mr. Price had left his home to walk his own dogs when he spotted a champagne-colored female XL Bully named Via loose in the street. The dog had escaped through an open window at TrimblePettitt's nearby property. In a public-spirited gesture, Mr. Price secured his own dogs inside and began guiding Via back to the address. TrimblePettitt had left for work shortly before, leaving the front gate open.

As Mr. Price approached, the second dog, a white male named Ares, emerged from the property after pushing open an unsecured porch door. Both animals then turned on Mr. Price, attacking him aggressively for approximately 12 minutes. Witnesses, including Mr. Price's wife, Heather, and his...