Scott Samson’s remains were found in his blood-soaked living room in Rutherglen after he was looking after an illegal XL bully for a friend. A destruction order has now been issued by Glasgow Sheriff Court
An illegal XL bully which ate a man’s body is set to be euthanised. Scott Samson’s remains were discovered in his blood-drenched living room in Rutherglen South Lanarkshire, Scotland last March.
At the time of the gruesome discovery, he had been looking after the dog for a friend. Following an investigation into the death, a post-mortem was unable to confirm whether the 38-year-old was killed by the animal or died from natural causes.
The Sunday Mail previously reported that Scott’s mother Morag, 60, was outraged to discover that nearly a year after her son’s death, the dog was still being housed at one of only three kennels in Scotland that accommodate seized XL bullys. However, a destruction order was issued last week by Glasgow Sheriff Court and the dog is now due to be put down.
Sources indicate that police have spent nearly £50,000 maintaining the dog, which will be euthanised by a vet, in approved kennels. A source stated: “There are only a few approved dog kennels in Scotland where XL bullies or suspected XL bullies seized by police or involved in criminal cases can be kept,” reports Glasgow Live.
“Because there are only a few, they can charge what they want and it costs around £50,000 a year to keep a dog.” In January, prosecutors confirmed that no one will face criminal charges despite the dog being unregistered and identified by a breed expert as a prohibited XL bully.
The dog is owned by 37-year-old Neal Stark, also from Rutherglen, who entrusted it to a friend when he was imprisoned in February for drug-related crimes. The friend then passed the dog onto Scott to look after while he went on holiday.
Morag revealed that the police did not inform her that the dog had attacked Scott when his body was found at his Castlefern Road residence last year. She bid her final goodbye at his funeral in April, unaware of the harsh reality, which only came to light in a post-mortem report she received weeks later.
Since the incident, the four-year-old dog has been looked after in police kennels. Initially, the police informed her that her son had died from an accidental drug overdose.
However, the post-mortem confirmed this was inconclusive and he could have been savagely mauled to death. Morag stated: “Scott was dead within days of picking the dog up. I didn’t hear from him and knew something was wrong and called the police.
“When we went in the dog was in the hall and I could see Scott’s legs and his black shorts in the living room.” Morag mentioned that dog catchers initially struggled to remove the aggressive animal.
A Police Scotland spokesperson told the Sunday Mail: “A destruction order was issued by Glasgow Sheriff Court Arrangements will be made for the dog to be euthanised by a veterinarian.”
For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters.