Man convicted over fatal XL Bully attack which killed grandmother in Jaywick
68-year-old Esther Martin died in February 2024
Last updated 19th Feb 2026
A man has been convicted over a fatal XL bully attack, which killed a 68-year-old grandmother in Jaywick.
Ashley Warren, 41, has been found guilty at Chelmsford Crown Court of owning an XL bully dog called Bear which mauled Esther Martin to death while dangerously out of control at his then home in Jaywick, Essex, on February 3 2024.
Warren was cleared of being in charge of another XL bully called Beauty, which also injured Ms Martin.
He was also found guilty of one count of possessing a knife at Clacton railway station on February 3 2024, by a majority of 11 to one.
An inquest hearing was told Esther sustained "unsurvivable" injuries, with her medical cause of death recorded as "dog bite wounds to the upper right limb".
Ms Martin was left with the two XL bullies, named Beauty and Bear, and their eight puppies on 3rd February 2024, while Warren travelled to London to film a music video.
Jurors previously heard Ms Martin sustained a minimum of 60 mostly dog-related injuries before her death and that the animals had not been walked for four weeks before the attack.
Prosecutor Chris Paxton KC also said Ms Martin had "restricted" movement after a hip replacement, and arthritis and a limp, meaning it was a "ludicrous suggestion" to say she could be considered a "fit and proper person" to control the dogs.
He said the "combined weight of the pack" was between 180kg to 190kg and the dogs were "unpredictable, towering, muscular" animals.
"In old money that's about 26 to 28 stone, not of static Roman statues but living, writhing, fighting dogs. Dogs described by the defendant as 'bouncy'," he added.
The two adult dogs weighed 39kg and 47kg and each of the eight puppies were between 10kg to 12kg.
The mauling came two days after the Government made it a criminal offence to own an XL bully in England and Wales without a certificate of exemption.
The court heard Warren had not applied for certificates for any of the 10 animals.