An aspiring rapper has been sentenced to more than a decade in prison for owning an XL Bully dog that savagely killed his 68-year-old mother-in-law while he was away filming a music video.
Ashley Warren, 41, of Addlestone, Surrey, was jailed at Chelmsford Crown Court on Tuesday, March 31, 2026, receiving 10 years for owning a dog dangerously out of control that caused injury resulting in death, plus a consecutive three-month term for possessing a bladed article.
The total sentence of 10 years and three months was handed down by Mr Justice Jeremy Johnson, who noted that Esther Martin was the first person in the UK killed by an XL Bully dog after the breed ban took effect.
The tragic events unfolded on February 3, 2024 — just two days after the government’s ban on unregistered XL Bully dogs came into force on February 1, making it a criminal offence to own or possess the breed in England and Wales without a certificate of exemption.
Prosecutors told the court that Warren had asked Ms Martin, a frail grandmother who stood just 5ft 3in tall and had significant mobility issues, to look after two adult XL Bully dogs — named Bear (which belonged to Warren) and Beauty (his girlfriend’s dog) — along with eight puppies of the same breed at his former home in Hillman Avenue, Jaywick, Essex.
He left her there so he could travel to London to film a music video, despite her “little to no experience” with dogs and complete lack of training to handle such powerful animals.
Senior prosecutor Christopher Paxton KC described the situation as “a tragedy waiting to happen,” telling jurors: “No-one would reasonably believe that Esther could control those dogs with the physicality and power that they clearly possessed, never mind the fact that there was not just one adult XL bully dog but two, with eight puppies in tow.”
Hours after arriving, Ms Martin suffered a horrific attack. She sustained “dozens and dozens” of injuries, including a bite that tore through the tissue of her arm and caused a complete fracture of the bone. The dogs overwhelmed the short-statured pensioner, leaving her with around 60 dog-related injuries in total, according to reports of the case.
Warren was convicted of being the owner of Bear, the dog found to have caused the fatal injuries in a private place. He was acquitted of the charge relating to Beauty.
The court heard that police had visited the property just 11 days before the fatal mauling on an unrelated matter. Body-worn video footage played to the jury captured Warren telling an officer it was “a shame about the laws” and referring to “my boy’s got papers already” — a claim the prosecution dismissed as a lie, since Warren later admitted in court he held no exemption certificates and had not applied for any.
The ban on XL Bullies was introduced amid growing public concern over a spate of serious and fatal attacks linked to the muscular breed, which can weigh over 100lbs and possess immense strength. Owners were required to apply for exemption certificates, have dogs neutered, and keep them muzzled and on leads in public. Warren chose to ignore the new law.
Adding to the case against him, Warren was also convicted of having a knife without good reason at Clacton railway station on the same day as the attack. He claimed it was merely a prop from the music video he had been filming in London, but the jury rejected that explanation.
Warren, who had earlier been described in some reports as Ms Martin’s son-in-law, hung his head as the guilty verdict was returned on the main charge following his trial.
The sentencing brings to a close a prosecution that marked one of the first high-profile cases under the XL Bully legislation. Crown Prosecution Service representatives expressed condolences to Ms Martin’s family, describing their loss as “unimaginable.”
The case has reignited debates about responsible dog ownership, the effectiveness of breed-specific legislation, and the dangers of leaving powerful animals with vulnerable individuals. Jaywick, a coastal area in Essex, has seen its share of social challenges, and this incident has cast a further shadow over the community.
Warren’s aspirations in the music industry now lie in ruins as he begins a lengthy prison term. For the family of Esther Martin, a much-loved grandmother, no sentence can restore what was lost in a few horrifying minutes on a February afternoon in 2024.
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW
Ashley Warren, a 41-year-old aspiring rapper, was sentenced to 10 years and three months in prison for the death of 68-year-old Esther Martin, who was mauled by his unregistered XL Bully dog just two days after the breed ban came into force.
Warren knowingly left two powerful XL Bully dogs and eight puppies with a frail, inexperienced pensioner who had mobility issues and no chance of controlling them — a tragedy that was entirely preventable. Ignoring the new law and basic responsibility cost an innocent woman her life.
