Rapper Found Guilty in Fatal XL Bully Dog Attack Case
A man has been convicted over an XL bully attack that left a 68-year-old woman dead at his home.
Ashley Warren, 41, was found guilty of owning an XL bully dog named Bear, which mauled Esther Martin in Jaywick, Essex, on 3 February 2024. The jury convicted Warren of the charge by a majority of 11 to one but cleared him of being in charge of another XL bully, Beauty, which also injured Ms Martin.
The medical cause of Ms Martin’s death was recorded as “dog bite wounds to the upper right limb.” During the trial, jurors heard that Ms Martin, who was 5ft 3in and had limited mobility after a hip replacement, suffered “dozens and dozens” of injuries, including a bite through the tissue of her arm and a complete fracture of the bone.
Warren, now living in Addlestone, Surrey, had left Ms Martin at his home in Hillman Avenue with the two XL bullies and eight puppies of the same breed.
The amateur rapper had asked Ms Martin to look after the dogs so he could travel to London to film a music video.
Warren had pleaded not guilty to owning Bear, the dog that caused injury resulting in death while dangerously out of control in a private place. He also denied being in charge of Beauty, which caused injury resulting in death while dangerously out of control in a private place.
During the trial at Chelmsford Crown Court, Warren described the XL bullies as “loving dogs” and said they were not “raised to attack or bite.”
Essex Police said this was the first case of its kind since new laws regulating the ownership of XL bullies came into effect at the start of 2024.
An earlier inquest had heard that Ms Martin was found unresponsive and had sustained “unsurvivable” dog bite wounds. Police had visited Warren’s property 11 days before the attack for an unrelated matter. A video shown to jurors featured Warren telling an officer: “It’s a shame about the laws” and “my boy’s got papers already.”
Prosecutor Christopher Paxton KC said: “If that was a reference to an exemption certificate, that was a lie.” Warren later admitted in court that he did not hold any exemption certificates and had not applied for any.
In his evidence, he said he “never saw this coming in a million years” and insisted, “I would never have left Esther with the dogs if I thought they were dangerous.”
Warren was also found guilty of possessing a bladed article without good reason or lawful authority at Clacton railway station on 3 February 2024, after officers discovered a knife he claimed was a prop for the music video he had been filming in London that day.
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