Man jailed for three years after his XL bully escaped and killed neighbour
A man has been jailed for three years for owning a dangerously out-of-control XL bully dog that killed his neighbour.
Christopher Bell, 45, ran out of his house barefoot after Ian Langley, 54, who had thrown a stone and smashed a window at his home in Shiney Row near Sunderland on 3 October 2023.
Bell left the door open and his two XL bully dogs got out, joining the chase and overtaking their owner, Newcastle Crown Court heard.
Ian Langley. Pic: Shutterstock
Prosecutor Jolyon Perks said Mr Langley had run for about 100m before he was brought to the floor by the larger of the two dogs, Titan, who latched on to his neck.
Bell was eventually able to pull the dog off and drag him back to his house, before he returned to the scene and called emergency services.
Mr Langley was taken to hospital but had suffered “catastrophic injuries to his neck” and was pronounced dead.
Titan was destroyed at the scene, while Bell’s other dog, Sapphire, was taken away and euthanised, the court heard.
Bell arriving at Newcastle Crown Court. Pic: PA
Titan had attacked two dogs in the months leading up to the incident and was “known to local residents,” the court heard.
Mr Perks said on 26 July 2022 the dog ran into the street and attacked a Yorkshire terrier, while Bell “asked bystanders for a cigarette lighter to burn his dog’s nose” to get him to release the terrier.
In June 2023, both Bell’s dogs were off leads when they attacked another dog in a “savage” incident lasting five to 10 minutes. It was only halted when Bell appeared and threw water over them.
Mr Perks said Bell had failed to act on prior knowledge of his dog’s behaviour.
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In a victim impact statement Mr Langley’s son, Jayke Langley, said his father “was not only loved by everyone in the community, he was also my role model and best influence in my life.”
He added: “His kindness and generosity shaped me into who I am. He taught me to make time for others and give to those less fortunate.”
He said changes to the law following an “alarming increase in fatal dog attacks” in 2023 “sadly came too late for my dad”.
The court heard Bell was “profoundly sorry for what has happened”.
A judge heard Bell “had no quarrel” with Mr Langley and what prompted him to smash the window remains unknown.
Judge Carolyn Scott jailed Bell for three years and banned him from owning a dog indefinitely.
A 15-year-old boy has died after “getting into difficulty” in a lake in southeast London, police say.
Officers and paramedics were called shortly after 3pm on Friday to Beckenham Place Park in Lewisham.
The Metropolitan Police said a boy “was recovered from the lake” at around 10.42pm the same day.
“He was taken to hospital where he was sadly pronounced dead. His death is being treated as unexpected but not believed to be suspicious,” according to the force.
The boy’s family has been told and are being supported by specialist officers.
The force originally said the child was 16 years old, but has since confirmed his age as 15.
In the earlier statement, officers said emergency services carried out a search and the park was evacuated.
Emergency teams were called to Beckenham Place Park on Friday afternoon
Beckenham Place Park, which borders the London borough of Bromley, covers around 240 acres, according to the park’s website.
The lake is described as 285 metres long, reaching depths of up to 3.5 metres.
It is designed as a swimming lake for open-water swimming and paddle boarding.
A London Ambulance Service spokesperson said on Friday: “We were called at 3.02pm this afternoon to reports of a person in the water.
“We sent resources to the scene, including an ambulance crew, an incident response officer and members of our hazardous area response team.”
Emergency teams have not explained how the boy entered the water, or whether he was accompanied by others.
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