Moment XL Bully bounds throughout property earlier than barging right into a home and attacking a mom and her canine
This is the terrifying moment that an XL Bully dog barged into a home before attacking a mother and her dog.
Donna Mawby and her French bulldog Darcy were pounced on by the out-of-control dog at their home in Mountsorrel, Leicestershire, in February 2024.
The owners of the XL Bully, Marecko Ratteray and Kerryan Bott were handed a 14-month suspended sentences at Leicester Crown Court on Thursday.
The court heard that the dog, named Cookie, was destroyed following the attack.
Doorbell footage shows Cookie running towards Mrs Mawby and her dog outside her home in John Wesley Close.
Mrs Mawby got Darcy into the home and tried to close the door as Cookie bounded towards them from across the road.
Nicola Patton, prosecuting, told the court that Mrs Mawby was ‘unable to stop’ Cookie getting in.
The court heard how Mrs Mawby tried to punch at Cookie but the dog caused ‘nasty’ bite wounds after it ‘locked’ its jaws onto her left arm.
This is the terrifying moment that an XL Bully dog barged into a home before attacking a mother and her dog
Donna Mawby and her French bulldog Darcy were pounced on by the out-of-control dog at their home in Mountsorrel, Leicestershire, in February 2024
The court heard how Mrs Mawby tried to punch at Cookie but the dog caused ‘nasty’ bite wounds after it ‘locked’ its jaws onto her left arm
Her dog Darcy was hiding under the table before the XL bully grabbed it in its jaw and ‘ragged’ the smaller dog.
One of Mrs Mawby’s neighbours, Michael Page, came to assist after hearing the incident but Cookie bit his finger and left it ‘hanging off’, the court was told.
The mother’s two sons, aged nine and seven, could also be heard crying on the footage with the attack ending after Mrs Mawby and Mr Page were able to restrain the dog.
Mrs Mawby told the BBC: ‘I’m just glad it was me and not my children. I just grabbed Darcy and I ran into my house. I wasn’t quick enough to get the front door closed and the dog literally came running in, she barged the way through, she was so powerful.
‘It all happened so quickly, I was screaming, I didn’t realise I was injured at the time because of the adrenaline going through my body.
‘The XL bully saw Darcy running into my living room, Darcy’s come under my coffee table but she had no chance, the dog flipped the table from one side of the living room to the other. It was ragging her round like a rabbit.’
Following the attack Darcy had an emergency operation as her muscle had been torn from her bone.
Mrs Mawby revealed she has suffered flashbacks and had post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) from the incident.
Bite marks that Mrs Mawby suffered from the XL Bully attack
Following the attack Mrs Mawby’s dog Darcy (pictured) had an emergency operation as her muscle had been torn from her bone
Defending the couple, Simren Singh said that Cookie got loose while Ratteray was putting out his bins.
The attack happened on February 15, two weeks after a national ban on owning XL bullies was introduced but the court heard that Ratteray had a certificate of exemption which meant he owned the dog legally.
However, Rattery had signed a voluntary control order five months earlier meaning he had to keep Cookie secure at all times, the court was told.
Judge William Harbage KC told the defendants: ‘The two of you were negligent in ensuring that dog was under proper control – you allowed it to escape with very serious consequences. It could have been a whole lot worse if the dog had got hold of a child.’
Ratteray, 41, of Oxford Street, Leicester, and Bott, 34, of John Wesley Close in Mountsorrel, were ordered to pay £500 compensation to Mrs Mawby and £1,000 to Mr Page.
The pair must also complete 200 hours of unpaid work, pay £610.60 for the cost of kenneling the XL Bully before it was destroyed and were given a ban from owning dogs for five years.
