Ashley Warren, 41, has admitted owning one of two XL Bullies which killed Esther Martin, 68, when she was visiting his Essex home, but he has denied owning the other one
A wannabe rapper on trial after a gran was mauled to death by a pair of XL Bullies claims she was in charge of his pet and the other dog wasn’t his, a court has heard.
Esther Martin’s death at the jaws of a pair of XL Bully dogs was so horrific that the jury investigating the tragedy will only see pixilated images “presented in the least distressing way”.
The judge also told the court that many details of the 68-year-old grandmother’s chilling fate are already clear. The tragic gran died visiting her 11-year-old grandson at the home of Ashley Warren, where the two massive dogs launched their bloody attack.
But Warren, a 41-year-old aspiring rapper, is denying any responsibility. He admits owning one dog but claims the grandmother was in charge of it. He denies owning the other huge animal.
XL Bullies in the UK are considered to be highly inbred, coming from a small population imported in 2014–15. Many also descend from an American dog called Kimbo whose offspring often turn on humans.
Retired Tesco worker Esther, from Woodford Green in east London, was killed on February 3, 2024, at Warren’s home at the time, in Hillman Avenue in Jaywick near Clacton-on-Sea in Essex.
Police found her unresponsive with “unsurvivable injuries”. Two large dogs were destroyed at the scene and her cause of death was recorded as “dog bite wounds to the upper right limb”.
Warren admits owning one of the two XL Bullies that mauled her to death. But his lawyer told Chelmsford Crown Court that the aspiring rapper believed his visitor was “a fit and proper” person to be in charge of his dog. He denies owning the other dog, the Daily Mirror reports.
Mr Justice Johnson told jurors: “It is not in dispute that Mr Warren was the owner of the XL Bully called Bear and that it was dangerously out of control and injured Esther Martin causing her death.”
But he explained that the Dangerous Dogs Act provides a defence for leaving an animal with someone you believe to be “a fit and proper person to be in charge of the dog”.
“You have to decide whether Mr Warren reasonably believed that Esther Martin was a fit and proper person to be in charge of the dog called Bear.”
Warren, who has tattoos on his face, hands, and neck, appeared in court wearing a loose-fitting black leather-style jacket. The wannabe rapper is also facing a third charge of having a knife at Clacton railway station on February 3.
The justice told jurors: “Mr Warren accepts that he had the knife with him. The issue for you to decide is whether he is likely to have had a legal or lawful excuse for having a knife with him.”
The trial is expected to last for up to five weeks.
For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters.