By Summer Goodkind and Matt Strudwick
23:05 05 Feb 2024, updated 00:19 06 Feb 2024
- Esther Martin, 68, was mauled to death while visiting her 11-year-old grandson
A previously defiant XL Bully owner whose dogs mauled a grandmother to death in front of his son has admitted he’s ‘learnt the hard way’ as he rallied his support behind the ban of the breed.
Rapper Ashley Warren was released on bail today after being arrested on suspicion of dangerous dog offences. His dogs – named Beauty and Bear – killed Esther Martin, 68.
Grandmother Esther was visiting her 11-year-old grandson, Warren’s son, at the weekend, when neighbours heard piercing screams coming from the home.
Warren revealed she was trying to calm the savage beasts – named Beauty and Bear – with a broom before she was maimed.
Breaking down in tears, Warren opened up to The Sun, revealing he has been left heartbroken by the tragic attack.
He insisted he was a ‘good father’ who just wanted the best for his son, including for him to have a relationship with his grandmother.
As for the attack, he said he ‘never knew’ something like this could happen or that bully’s were aggressive.
He explained: ‘I thought it was all lies and people just trying to kill off the breed of dog. But now I’ve learnt the hard way.’
Ashley, whose rapper name is Wyless Man, was previously defiant, describing the rules as ‘a joke’.
Now he says: ‘I couldn’t support them enough.’
‘Now I think they need to be wiped out. Esther meant everything to my son and she meant everything to me.
‘I’m sorry for everyone’s loss, from the bottom of my heart.’
The dogs were shot dead by police officers who raced to the home in Jaywick, Essex, and arrived within minutes of the 999 call. A man was earlier seen smashing a window with a brick in a desperate attempt to save her.
It comes after Ms Martin’s son, Paul Martin, today left a heartfelt tribute to his mother in a post on Facebook.
He wrote: ‘Love you lots mum. Sleep tight and give Clare Louise a big hug from me love you both lots.
‘Until we meet again. Your memory will live forever.’
Her wannabe rapper ‘son-in-law’ Ashley Warren, 39, owned the dogs and was arrested on suspicion of dangerous dogs offences. He was today released on bail, and had insisted the dogs were ‘not aggressive’.
Ms Martin’s furious family have hit out at the conditions the massive dogs were kept in.
Her daughter, Sonia, has now claimed the two adult dogs and the six puppies were kept ‘penned in a small chalet’.
Police said the breeds which attacked Ms Martin are yet to be determined, but the family claimed they were XL Bully dogs. The breed became banned in England at the beginning of the month, but owners may apply for exemptions.
Images on the owner’s social media show how at least one appears to be an XL Bully-type, while another looks like a Rottweiler.
Ms Martin’s daughter Sonia, 47, told the BBC: ‘We’re very angry. People complain about the dogs – it’s not the dogs.’
Speaking about the conditions they were kept in, she asked: ‘How the hell can that be any good for an animal?’
She also revealed that her nephew was in the house at the time and ran out screaming for help when Ms Martin was attacked.
She told the BBC: ‘My mum went down to spend time with her grandson who used to live with her.
‘The puppies were fighting. The owner had left my mum and my nephew with the dogs and went off somewhere, although my mum had raised concerns about them.
‘His directions to my mum was – as we understand it – was that if the puppies were fighting she should put a broom in there and distract the puppies – run it over the floor and shake it to get their attention so they would stop fighting.’
Locals of Jaywick Sands, near Clacton-on-Sea, claimed the dogs were aggressive and were always ‘barking and trying to get through the gate’.
They believed the owner was a breeder and would often walk them around menacingly.
But relatives of Warren have now hit back at the claims, insisting the dogs were his pets and he was a loving owner.
Warren’s grandmother, Carol Stotter said the rapper was careful to keep the large dogs locked inside the house.
The 76-year-old told The Sun: ‘From what I’ve heard from Ashley, the dogs haven’t been aggressive. I think with the puppies around it probably changed their behaviour.
‘Those dogs were his pets. I think the female got pregnant which was not planned.’
‘Ashley loved the dogs. They were not there for any other purpose but his pets.’
She said Warren kept on top of maintaining the fence to keep the dogs in and she claimed ‘they never attacked anybody’ previously.
Warren’s mother, Michelle Stotter, told The Sun that Ms Martin and her grandson were very close and she was often at the house.
She also described her shock when she heard of the tragic incident and said she feels ‘sorry’ for the 11-year-old boy who is in a ‘nightmare situation’.
His mother also said that the dog’s puppies had been fighting and Ms Martin tried to break them up with a broom.
The parents of the puppies, Beauty and Bear, saw this as an attack and ‘went’ for the grandmother, Ms Stotter claimed.
The 55-year-old also said her son was trying to rehome the dogs.
MailOnline found that Warren had posted an advert on social media in November offering the puppies for £500 each.
Sonia was at the scene yesterday morning along with siblings Paul, 45, and Kelly Fretwell, 46. She said her mother – from Woodford Green, London – had previously told the dogs’ owner that they were dangerous.
She told MailOnline there were eight dogs – six puppies and two adults – and all were XL Bullies.
Six Essex Police officers arrived ‘within minutes’ and shot dead both dogs inside the home.
They and neighbours battled to save Ms Martin’s life, but she was pronounced dead at the scene.
Officers were called to a property at Jaywick Sands, near Clacton-on-Sea at around 4pm on Saturday, with neighbours hearing screams coming from the property for 10 minutes. They found a seriously wounded Ms Martin and she later died at the scene.
The Sun reported Ms Martin was mauled to death in the back room of the home by the two adult dogs, named Beauty and Bear.
A man threw a brick and smashed a window as he tried to break into the house to help, according to one couple.
Julie Coleman, 62, and Mike Coleman, 74, said: ‘It’s horrible. I heard them shoot the dogs. It’s so upsetting. I was in tears.’
They added: ‘There was apparently blood everywhere. Her head was covered in blood.’
MailOnline previously revealed that the dogs were owned by breeder Warren, who goes by the name Wyless Man.
William Turner is a seasoned U.K. correspondent with a deep understanding of domestic affairs. With a passion for British politics and culture, he provides insightful analysis and comprehensive coverage of events within the United Kingdom.
