XL bully owner jailed for five years after neighbour mauled to death
A Stonnall man has been jailed for five years after two XL bullies he owned mauled a neighbour to death in a tragic and preventable incident.
Last updated 12th Feb 2026
James Harrison Trimble-Pettitt, 33, now of Fradley, pleaded guilty at Stafford Crown Court in October 2025 to two counts of being the owner of a dog which, when dangerously out of control, caused the death of 52-year-old father-of-two Ian Price.
He was also banned from keeping dogs indefinitely by Judge John Edwards, who described the attack as an “appalling act of savagery.”
The fatal attack occurred on 14 September 2023. Mr Price had gone outside to walk his own dogs when two of Trimble-Pettitt’s XL bullies, a champagne-coloured female named Via and a white male named Ares, escaped from his unsecured home on Main Street, Stonnall.
Witnesses told the court that Mr Price, acting responsibly, tried to shepherd Via back to Trimble-Pettitt’s property, but the dogs attacked him.
Neighbours and passers-by attempted to intervene using cars and wheelie bins, while Mr Price’s wife Heather described the dogs as “absolutely ravaging” him.
Despite being taken to hospital, Mr Price suffered severe blood loss, cardiac arrest, and died from his injuries that evening.
One of the dogs died during the incident, while the other was later euthanised.
An expert witness for the prosecution told the court that poor management and supervision, combined with environmental and behavioural factors, had contributed to the dogs’ extreme aggression.
The animals lived in poor conditions, with no toys, bedding, or stimulation, and frequently escaped through open windows and doors.
Trimble-Pettitt’s dogs had also previously attacked other people and pets, including a nine-year-old boy and his mother, and chased a woman walking her dog into a shop, causing terror to the shop owner.
Speaking after the sentencing, Mr Price’s wife Heather said:
“Ian’s death shook me to my core. He was more than my husband and best friend—he was my other half. I am lost without him. There is no peace or comfort in a death that was so public and preventable.”
Defence counsel Thomas Schofield KC described Trimble-Pettitt’s fault as negligence rather than intention, noting that he expressed remorse and had written to the family.
Sentencing, Judge Edwards paid tribute to Mr Price and his family, saying:
“Ian Price was mauled to death by your two animals. This catastrophic event stands apart from others I have seen. The attack was appalling, and while no sentence can reflect the value of his life, the defendant was seriously at fault and displayed a wholesale disregard for his responsibilities.”
The judge added that the dogs were part of a wider concern that led the UK Government to ban XL bullies, making it a criminal offence to own one in England and Wales without a valid certificate of exemption.