XL bully owner Sean Garner sentenced to 12 years after dog mauled Warrington pensioner to death

A man who was convicted over a fatal XL bully attack on an 84-year-old pensioner has been sentenced to 12 years in prison.

Sean Garner, 31, had denied the charge of owning a dog which caused injury while dangerously out of control, but was convicted following a trial at Liverpool Crown Court.

He had previously admitted to possessing the banned male dog and a female of the same breed without an exemption certificate.

John McColl died from his injuries a month after the attack by the dog in Warrington, Cheshire, on 24 February last year.

The XL bully, which was called Toretto and weighed 7st 4lb, mauled the pensioner after he wandered on to the driveway of Garner's home in Bardsley Avenue, the jury was told.

During the trial, the court heard the dog had "savaged" Mr McColl and "guarded him as if he were its prey".

Mr McColl suffered "catastrophic facial injuries" in the 45-minute attack, Liverpool Crown Court heard at the sentencing on Friday.

The animal had to be shot 10 times by police who were called to the scene. A second XL bully, a female called Malibu, was shot when officers found her inside the house.

Addressing Garner in court, Mr McColl's granddaughter Kelly Percival, 33, said: "Your dog basically ate my grandad, but you and your family don't care."

Jailing Garner, Judge Brian Cummings KC said: "The suffering experienced by Mr McColl was quite unspeakable and really does not bear dwelling on."

He said the retired steel erector, who remained conscious throughout the attack, must have been in "absolute agony".

"We're still living a nightmare. This is something we'll never get over. It'll always be in the back of your head," Mr McColl's daughter, Joanne Percival, previously told Sky News' chief North of England correspondent Greg Milam.

Garner claimed during the trial that he had taken steps to prevent the dogs from being dangerously out of control, but the prosecution said the dog had been left on a patio area, which was only secured by a gate with a latch.

Garner had accused Mr McColl of releasing the XL bully from a padlocked shed, claims which prosecutor David Birrell said were "ludicrous" and "absurd".

Mr Birrell described Garner as a "selfish, reckless risk-taker" who told "bare-faced lies".

"He has no empathy, not even an apology, he's only felt sorry for himself," Joanne Percival said, with her daughter Kelly adding that Garner "has shown no remorse in court".

Mr McColl's daughter said there would be thousands of XL bully owners across the country who will likely think their dog wouldn't attack someone, adding that "they are probably right".

"They probably wouldn't, because they are probably loved. They walk the dogs, look after the dogs, and that's how you should [keep a dog]," Joanne Percival said.

"He did not look after that dog, and that dog was put outside. That dog escaped. Sean Garner knows the truth and he will live with that for the rest of his life because he knows what happened."

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Garner admitted during the trial that he had not walked the two dogs for about 10 days, but said he had allowed them on to the patio for exercise.

Lloyd Morgan, defending, said: "Sean Garner does express his deepest sympathy to the family of Mr McColl for the loss, and the manner of the loss, of their beloved family member."

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