Man whose XL bully dog escaped and killed his neighbour jailed for three years
Man whose XL bully dog escaped and killed his neighbour jailed for three years
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A man whose XL bully dog escaped and killed his neighbour as he chased him for breaking his window has been jailed for three years. Christopher Bell, 45, came out of his house barefoot to run after Ian Langley, 54, who had thrown a stone at his home in Shiney Row, near Sunderland, on October 3 2023.
Newcastle Crown Court heard Bell left the door of his house open, allowing his two XL bully dogs to get out and join in the chase. The animals overtook their owner and the larger one, Titan, knocked Mr Langley to the ground and latched on to his neck, causing unsurvivable injuries, prosecutors said.
The court heard in the months leading up to the fatal incident, Titan had attacked two dogs and was “known to local residents”. Prosecutor Jolyon Perks said a witness described seeing Mr Langley pacing in front of Bell’s house in Maple Terrace before picking up two stones, throwing them at the window and running across the road into a passageway.
He had run for about 100 metres before he was brought to the floor by Titan who took hold of his neck between his jaws and resisted all Bell’s attempts to pull him away, the court heard. Mr Perks said Bell was eventually able to pull the dog off Mr Langley and drag him back to his house before returning to the scene and calling emergency services.
Mr Langley was taken to hospital but had suffered “catastrophic injuries to his neck” and was pronounced dead less than two hours after the incident. Titan was destroyed at the scene and Bell’s other dog, Sapphire, was taken away and euthanised, the court heard.
