18 November 2024, 13:33 | Updated: November 18, 2024, 1:45 p.m

A man has pleaded guilty to owning a dangerous and out-of-control XL Bully after the pet attacked and killed his neighbor in a savage and unprovoked attack.

Ian Langley, 54, suffered fatal neck injuries in October 2023 after XL Bully attacked him on October 3 last year.

Christopher Bell, 45, formerly of Maple Terrace, Shiney Row, appeared at Newcastle Crown Court where he pleaded guilty to being the owner of a dog causing injury resulting in death while being dangerously out of control in a public place.

The 54-year-old victim was said to have been walking her puppy in Shiney Row, near Sunderland, when Mr Bell’s thug XL attacked her, causing a fatal bite to her neck.

The dog, described as an “XL American Bully” named “Titan”, was shot and destroyed at the scene by police.

It was then understood that another XL thug was taken away by the police for public safety.

Neighbors said Mr Langley, who was originally from Liverpool, was walking his Patterdale puppy called Bow when he was attacked.

The puppy bolted during the attack and managed to escape, with the animal being cared for by a neighbor on the estate following the attack.

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At the time Michael Kennedy, also of Shiney Row, said he had known Mr Langley for more than 20 years and said many knew him simply as “Scouse”.

He said: “He was a really nice lad, he came from Liverpool, he was a lovable rogue, you might say.”

Mr Kennedy added: ‘He never did any harm, he wasn’t a violent person, he wasn’t a hard man, he wasn’t the type to look for trouble.

“He was very weak, he wouldn’t stand a chance against a big dog.”

In a video shared on social media last year, an armed police officer climbed the stairs to reach over a fence into a yard and shoot the animal in the road.

Bell will now be sentenced on January 27.