Ashley Warren Jailed 10 Years After XL Bully Kills His Mother-in-Law

Ashley Warren, a 41-year-old amateur rapper, was sentenced to 10 years in prison at Chelmsford Crown Court after his XL bully dog Bear mauled his mother-in-law Esther Martin to death at his home in Jaywick, Essex.

Martin, 68, a grandmother who had travelled from Woodford Green in east London, was at Warren's house on 3 February 2024, looking after two adult XL bullies, eight puppies, and a child while Warren was in London filming a music video. The attack, which Mr Justice Jeremy Johnson described as "sustained and repeated," lasted at least 12 minutes.

Bear had not been walked in the four weeks leading up to the fatal mauling. The judge told Warren directly: "As well as knowing it was prohibited, you knew it had been pent up in the house for weeks, you knew it was capable of being aggressive and you knew Esther Martin could not control it." He added: "I am sure that you could and should have reasonably foreseen the risk."

The attack came two days after the XL bully breed was banned in England and Wales, making Warren the first person charged with offences under the legislation that came into force in February 2024. He had pleaded not guilty to owning Bear, and also denied being in charge of a second dog named Beauty, but was convicted on both counts. An additional three-month term, to be served consecutively, was imposed for possession of a bladed article, bringing his total sentence to 10 years and three months. Mr Justice Johnson also banned Warren from owning any dog for life.

Warren had told police his XL bullies were friendly. At trial, he admitted hiding eight puppies at the property, saying he feared they would be put down.

Martin's family was in court to hear the sentence delivered. As the verdicts were read, her daughters smiled, clapped, and hugged; a cry of "yes" rang out from the public gallery. Afterward, Martin's daughters told reporters: "She always was and always will be our mum." They described her as "the centre of the family" and said her death had left a void "which cannot be filled."

Under the Dangerous Dogs Act, owners whose dogs kill someone face up to 14 years in prison. Since February 2024, owning an XL bully in England and Wales without an exemption certificate has been illegal; unregistered dogs can be seized, and owners face prosecution, fines, and mandatory muzzling and lead requirements in public.

Warren's conviction is the first under the XL bully rules, a legal landmark built on the death of a 68-year-old grandmother left alone with a confined, unwalked dog while her son-in-law filmed a music video 60 miles away.