Pensioner with mobility issues left in charge of 10 XL bullies before mauling, court told

A pensioner with limited mobility was left in charge of 10 XL bullies before she was killed, a court has heard.

Ashley Warren is on trial at Chelmsford Crown Court, accused of owning or being in charge of two XL bully dogs that killed 68-year-old Esther Martin.

Warren, 41, left Ms Martin with the two dogs, named Beauty and Bear, and eight puppies at his home on Hillman Avenue in Jaywick, Essex, on 3 February 2024.

Jurors previously heard the aspiring rapper had asked Ms Martin, who was 5ft 3in, to look after the dogs so he could travel to London to film a music video.

Summing up the case on Monday, prosecutor Chris Paxton KC said Ms Martin had "restricted" movement after a hip replacement, and arthritis and a limp.

This meant it was a "ludicrous suggestion" to say she could be deemed a "fit and proper person" to control the dogs.

He said the pack's combined weight was between 180kg to 190kg, describing the dogs as "unpredictable, towering, muscular" animals.

"In old money, that's about 26 to 28 stone, not of static Roman statues but living, writhing, fighting dogs. Dogs described by the defendant as 'bouncy'," he added.

The two adult dogs weighed 39kg and 47kg, and each of the eight puppies were between 10kg to 12kg, the court heard.

Warren had known Ms Martin for more than 12 years, so he would have been aware she had mobility issues and had "no basis" to believe she could "physically stop the dogs", Mr Paxton said.

Read more from Sky News:
New weather warnings for snow and ice issued
Producer of hit TV spy thriller found dead in hotel room

He said "no one could reasonably believe that Esther Martin was a fit and proper person".

"No one would reasonably believe that Esther could control those dogs with the physicality and power that they clearly possessed, never mind the fact that there was not just one adult XL bully dog but two, with eight puppies in tow.

"Such was the ferocity of the dogs that police officers were unable to enter the home until they had deployed the Tasers, entering not just with Tasers but with shields," the prosecutor added.

Jurors heard Ms Martin sustained at least 60 mostly dog-related injuries before her death and that the animals had not been walked for four weeks before she was killed.

The attack came two days after the government made it a criminal offence to own an XL bully in England and Wales without a certificate of exemption.

Warren, now of Addlestone, Surrey, has pleaded not guilty to being the owner of a dog named Bear, which caused injury resulting in death while dangerously out of control in a private place, and to being a person in charge of a dog named Beauty, which did the same.

He has also denied possessing a bladed article without good reason or lawful authority at Clacton railway station on 3 February 2024.

The defendant sat in the dock with his head bowed during Monday's hearing.

The trial continues.

(c) Sky News 2026: Pensioner with mobility issues left in charge of 10 XL bullies before mauling, court told