Owner of ‘uncontrolled’ XL bully that mauled his neighbour to loss of life after immediately lunging at his throat in horrifying assault faces jail  

The owner of an XL Bully has today pleaded guilty after his dog mauled a walker to death.

Christopher Bell, 45, of Coltman Street, Hull, appeared at Newcastle Crown Court to admit a charge of being the owner of a dog which caused injury leading to death while dangerously out of control in a public place.

Ian Langley, 54, died in hospital after being attacked by Bell’s tan and white XL Bully called Titan on Maple Terrace in Shiney Row, Sunderland, on the evening of Tuesday October 3 last year. 

Mr Langley, who weighed just eight stone, was taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries and died a short time later.

Titan was shot dead by police at the scene to protect the public. It was understood at the time that another XL Bully was taken away by police for public safety.

Christopher Bell who has pleaded guilty at Newcastle Crown Court to being the owner of a dangerously out of control XL Bully dog which killed Ian Langley

Ian Langley, 54, (pictured) who was mauled to death by an XL Bully last year on Maple Terrace in Shiney Row, Sunderland

Mr Bell (pictured) with his tan and white XL Bully called Titan prior to the incident on October 3 last year 

Bell will be sentenced on January 23 next year and has been granted conditional bail in the meantime.

Judge Robert Adams said he would give no indication of the likely sentence but warned ‘all options’ will be open to the court.

Mr Langley had been out walking his Patterdale terrier pup, Bow, on his usual route along a green in front of terraced house when witnesses said Bell’s dog — a tan and white bully called Titan — ran out of his home and towards Bow. 

His puppy bolted and managed to escape and was being looked after by a neighbour in the aftermath of the shocking attack which horrified residents living on the estate.

At the time, Michael Kennedy, also from Shiney Row, said he had known Mr Langley for more than 20 years, and said many people knew him simply as ‘Scouse’.

Bow (pictured) the dog that Mr Langley was trying to protect from Bell’s XL bully 

He said: ‘He was a really nice lad, he came from Liverpool, he was a lovable rogue you might say.’

Mr Kennedy added: ‘He never did any harm, he was not a violent person, he wasn’t a hard man, he wasn’t the type to go looking for trouble.

‘He was really thin, he would have no chance against a big dog.’

In a video shared on social media last year, an armed police officer stood on ladders to reach over a fence into a yard and shoot the animal from the road.