A jury at Chelmsford Crown Court found Ashley Warren guilty of owning an XL bully dog called Bear that mauled Esther Martin in Jaywick on 3 February 2024, but cleared him of responsibility for another dog, Beauty, which also attacked her.

Ms Martin, who was 5ft 3in tall and had reduced mobility following a hip replacement, was left at Warren’s home with the two adult XL bullies and eight puppies while he travelled to London to film a music video, the court heard. Jurors were told the attack was ferocious and fatal, with Ms Martin sustaining “dozens and dozens” of injuries, including a bite through the tissue of her arm and a “complete fracturing” of the bone, before she died.

Warren had denied the charges, telling the court the XL bullies were “loving dogs” and were not “raised to attack or bite”, and he also denied that Beauty had been under his care. The court heard the mauling took place two days after owning a XL bully without a licence became a criminal offence in England and Wales. During the trial, jurors saw video of police entering the property with riot shields and tasers as they tried to reach Ms Martin.

Police had visited the address 11 days before the fatal attack about an unrelated matter, and a video recording played in court showed Warren telling an officer “it’s a shame about the laws” and “my boy’s got papers already”, although he later admitted he did not hold any exemption certificates.

Alongside the dog offences, Warren was found guilty of possessing a bladed article without good reason at Clacton railway station on the same day as the attack. In a statement after the verdict, Ms Martin’s daughters paid tribute to their mother, saying her loss had left “a huge void in our lives” and that her devotion and selflessness had ended her life prematurely.

An assistant chief constable from Essex Police described the death as “a needless tragedy” and said it had affected the whole community, adding that Warren had taken advantage of Ms Martin’s good nature, which ultimately led to her death.