Man convicted after XL bully savaged pensioner in Warrington
Neighbours tried to beat the dog away using a spirit level and a walking stick
Last updated 8 hours ago
A dog owner has been convicted after his XL bully savaged an elderly man in a fatal attack.
John McColl, 84, was attacked by the dog, owned by Sean Garner, after he wandered onto the driveway of his home in Warrington, Cheshire, in February last year.
He died from his injuries about a month later.
The animal, which was called Toretto and weighed seven stone and four pounds, was shot 10 times by armed police.
Garner, 31, was found guilty at Liverpool Crown Court on Tuesday of being the owner of a dog which caused injury while dangerously out of control.
He showed no reaction as the verdict was returned, but members of his family were in tears in the public gallery.
The jury heard Mr McColl was on his way home from the pub shortly after 6pm on February 24 when he walked into the driveway of Garner’s home, where the dog had been left on a patio area which the prosecution alleged was only secured by a gate with a latch.
Neighbours described using items including a spirit level and a walking stick to try and get the dog away from Mr McColl.
Opening the week-long trial, David Birrell, prosecuting, said: “The dog guarded him as if he were its prey. It savaged him.”
An examination of the dog later found it had no food in its stomach, but it had begun to eat Mr McColl alive.
The court heard Garner, his then-pregnant partner and two children had moved into the semi-detached home three weeks before the incident and told the landlord they had one French bulldog, despite owning two XL bullies and a micro bully dog.
Giving evidence, Garner, who has previous convictions for driving offences and possessing drugs with intent to supply, claimed he took steps to ensure Toretto and the second XL bully, a female called Malibu who was shot when police found her inside the house, were not dangerously out of control.
He claimed the male dog was in a shed which was bolted and padlocked on the patio, which he said had a gate that was secured with a latch and chain.
Garner told the court at the time of the attack he did not know the dogs’ breed, which was banned in 2024, although the court heard he had previously advertised Malibu for breeding as an XL bully on Instagram.
He said he had not walked the dogs for about 10 days, but said he had allowed them onto the patio for exercise.
Garner, who described Toretto as “missing a few nuts and bolts” in a message to his mother, told the court: “I could never imagine that a man who has been the pub could go up my path on his way home and do what he has obviously done to let my dog out.”
In his closing speech, Mr Birrell described Garner as a “selfish, reckless risk taker who couldn’t care less” and told “bare-faced lies”.
He said Garner’s claims that Mr McColl had released the “big, savage dog” from a padlocked shed were “ludicrous” and “absurd”.
Speaking outside court, Detective Sergeant Emily Cole said: “Our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with the family of Mr McColl.
“What they witnessed as he suffered unimaginable injuries is beyond comprehension.
“The strength and determination Mr McColl showed in fighting to survive those injuries was both astonishing and deeply inspiring.”
She added: “It is our hope that today’s verdict serves as a powerful reminder of the dangers posed when dogs are not responsibly owned and controlled, and that it helps prevent further tragedies of this nature in the future.”
Garner, now of Belle Vale, Liverpool, previously admitted two counts of possessing an XL bully without an exemption certificate.
He was remanded in custody ahead of a sentencing hearing on April 17 and was told he faced a “substantial prison sentence”.
Judge Brian Cummings KC told jurors they could be excused from jury service for 10 years after hearing evidence which had been “some of the worst I have heard”.