The daughters of a pensioner mauled to death by two XL Bullies have blamed the 'arrogance' of their owner, an aspiring rapper, for the killing.
Esther Martin, 68, was fatally set upon by the animals in her son-in-law's house in Jaywick, Essex, in February 2024, just two days after the breed was banned in England and Wales.
Ashley Warren, 41, had arranged for Ms Martin to dog sit his Bullies, as well as eight puppies of the same breed, while he went to meet a 'lady friend'.
The fatal attack – which unfolded while a child was in the property – left 5ft 3in Ms Martin with 'dozens and dozens' of injuries, including a bite through her right arm that severed an artery.
Warren denied being the owner of a dog that caused injury resulting in death while dangerously out of control in a private place, but was found guilty at Chelmsford Crown Court on Thursday.
The jury convicted him of the offence, which carries a maximum sentence of 14 years in prison, with a majority jury of 11 to 1 after a two-week trial.
Sonia Martin-Copper, 49, has since revealed that Ms Martin, her mother, had raised concerns about the size and nature of the dogs, which she and a child were left with alone.
She told the BBC: 'We are not talking small animals. We are talking pure muscle, pure power, untrained, cooped up in a small house.'
The dogs were owned by breeder Ashley Warren (pictured), an aspiring rapper who goes by the name Wyless Man
Esther Martin, 68, was killed after she was left in charge of the pets by aspiring rapper Ashley Warren, 41, at his home in Jaywick, Essex
Beauty, left, and Bear, right, fight over another toy with a pup in footage released by Essex Police
Ms Martin's other daughter, Kelly Fretwell, said her mother suffered with arthritis, had undergone two hip surgeries, and walked with a limp at the time of the attack.
It should have been obvious that her frail mother should not have been left with the ten dogs, she insisted.
Prosecutors told the jury that the combined weight of the dog pack had been up to 190kg.
They said Warren had made no attempt to get an exemption certificate for his XL Bullies ahead of the ban coming into force, and that they had not been walked for weeks.
A dog behaviour expert also described conditions inside the home as 'impoverished'.
Ms Martin-Copper said: 'They shouldn't have been in the property; they should have been rehomed.
'Mr Warren's arrogance is what caused this. It's not lack of knowledge – he knew the law was coming in.'
Footage from a nearby CCTV camera, shown to the jury at Chelmsford Crown Court, captured screams coming from the house in Hillman Avenue and dogs barking 'in a frenzied state' at about 3:30pm on February 3, 2024.
The dogs were so ferocious when police arrived that they initially refused to enter the property, eventually tasering them through a broken window and then shooting them dead.
An officer who went to the property said the dogs were 'in a frenzied state' and 'formed the view it was not safe to enter the house, believing that (police) were at risk of death or serious injury if they tried to enter', prosecutor Chris Paxton KC told jurors.
The defendant's friend, Lee Poole, had arrived before emergency services and saw the two dogs attacking Ms Martin.
He smashed a window at the property, but was unable to enter because the animals were out of control.
A child in the house bravely hit the dogs with a broom to try and stop them attacking Ms Martin, the court was told.
The gruesome scene unfolded moments after Ms Martin tried to separate two puppies that had been fighting, leaving one with a bloody ear.
During the commotion, the child said the female XL Bully, Beauty, and the male, Bear, knocked over a suitcase that was holding a door closed in a bedroom where they had been left and ran into the room.
Warren speaking to officer in his home during an earlier, unrelated incident, with two of his dogs on the sofa
Ashley Warren arriving at Chelmsford Crown Court, Essex, this month, where he was convicted of a dangerous dog charge
In recorded interview with police, the child said: ‘Beauty and Bear knocked the suitcases over because the puppies had got into a fight.
‘The dogs have got out and the dogs have started barking… they think something has happened to the pups because she’s [Beauty's] protective of the pups.’
Ms Martin told the child, who can’t be identified for legal reasons, to grab a broom to push the pups apart - something they had done before, the jury heard.
‘As soon as I got it to [her], Beauty ran and jumped on the [pen] gate and pushed Bear and [he] has hit [Esther] and she’s hit her head. She was bleeding from the head,’ said the child, who added Ms Martin had injured herself on the handle of a kitchen cabinet and called out ‘help me’.
‘I tried to get the broom and I started to get the dogs so I could put them back in the room, then once they were in the room I could call [for help].’
But the child eventually left because they feared they would be injured. They ran into their room to grab their mobile phone and ran outside to call for help before the front door blew shut, locking them out.
Bear and Beauty were generally ‘gentle with each other’, the child told officers, adding they had been knocked over ‘a couple of times’ and the pets would ‘barge through my legs’.
On other occasions they would ‘nibble’ the child, leaving red marks.
Ms Martin had only been left alone to look after the child and the dogs ‘for short periods’ previously, when Warren and his then girlfriend, Jade McSeveney, popped out to the shops.
‘She cannot handle the dogs. They only listen to me when I shout and tell them to lay down,’ the child added.
Opening the case at the beginning of the month, Mr Paxton said the mauling was 'an accident waiting to happen' as Ms Martin had mobility issues, a lack of dog training and 'little to no experience' of being left alone with them for a prolonged period time.
After the verdict, Judge Jeremy Johnson told Warren: 'I am going to grant you bail. You should be under no illusion that it is inevitable that I will pass on you a sentence of imprisonment.
‘It’s very important you attend court on the sentencing date and very important you keep in touch with your lawyers and stay in contact with the probation service.’
Warren was told he must surrender his passport and is not allowed to leave the country between now and sentencing.
After the hearing, Ms Martin's brother, Charles Tarsey, said: ‘I’m very happy with the verdict.’
Warren declined to comment as he left the court.
Ms Martin was declared dead at the scene in Jaywick, Essex, after she was taken out of the house where she had been looking after the pets
XL Bullies Bear, left and Beauty were tasered and then shot by police, who refused to enter the property, the court heard
The defendant was aware of the XL Bully ban, which had been widely covered in the press in the months prior, the court was told.
Police had visited the property 11 days earlier following a dispute between Warren and his ex-girlfriend Jade McSeveney about ownership of Beauty.
In bodycam footage shown to jurors, Warren was seen telling an officer 'it's a shame about the laws' and 'my boy's got papers already'.
Mr Paxton said: 'If that was a reference to an exemption certificate, that was a lie.'
Ms Martin had looked after the dogs four or five times previously but had told other people she was scared of them and had thought of reporting Warren for having them.
Ten officers, some in riot gear including helmets and shields, arrived at the house after she was attacked but were unable to save her. She was declared dead after she was taken out of the house.
A post-mortem examination found she had been bitten on the front and back of her arms, as well as on her torso, legs and head.
Warren was also convicted by a majority of 11 to 1 of having a bladed article without good reason or lawful authority at Clacton railway station on February 3, 2024.
He argued that it was a prop in a music video which he had been making that day in London with his female friend.
Detective Chief Inspector Louise Metcalfe, who led the Essex Police investigation, said: 'I am pleased that we have been able to ensure Ashley Warren has been held accountable but I know that no verdict will ever bring Esther back.'
