A man died of ‘catastrophic’ injuries after an unprovoked attack by one of two powerful XL bully dogs after he entered a garden alone, a court heard today.
Keven Jones, 62, was bitten on the leg at least twice by the strongly-built pet, named Cookie, resulting in severe blood loss from his ‘terrible’ wounds, a jury was told.
The dog which inflicted the fatal injuries in May 2022 was allegedly owned by Chanel Fong and her partner Josh Jones, the son of the victim.
She was inside her house in Wrexham, north Wales when Keven Jones went into the garden, later telling police she heard him say: ‘Cookie, get off me.’
But after the tragedy – which the court heard happened before a ban on the breed was introduced – jurors were told Fong wrote on Facebook: ‘Cookie didn’t attack Keven.
‘He’s a big boy and plays too rough.’
She was also said to have written: ‘He’s not aggressive in the slightest, just thinks he’s still a small pup.
‘Rest in peace my darling stupid Cookie-Doe.’
Chanel Fong, 33, (pictured attending a previous court hearing) denies being the owner or in charge of a dangerously out of control dog which caused injury resulting in Keven Jones’s death
Mr Jones, 65, was attacked by one of the dogs after allegedly being heard to say: ‘Cookie get off me.’
Cookie (pictured), described as an American XL bully, was destroyed following the fatal attack
Fong, now 33, denies being the owner or in charge of a dangerously out of control American XL Bully which caused injury resulting in Keven Jones’s death.
Her partner was not at the house at the time.
Opening the case against Fong, prosecuting barrister Mark Connor said: ‘XL Bully dogs are bred to be big and very powerful animals, capable of devastating destruction by the very virtue of their size and power.
‘Cookie was manifestly dangerously out of control because he bit Mr Jones at least twice to his legs causing catastrophic injuries, without seemingly any provocation.
Keven Jones had been in ‘poor’ health, Caernarfon Crown Court heard, and was ‘addicted to Class A drugs’ at the time of his death.
‘He was on a methadone prescription and taking blood thinners,’ Mr Connor said.
‘All of that was known to Chanel Fong and he had been left on his own to deal with two powerful XL bully dogs.’
The other XL bully – a female named Rogue – was ‘in season’ which could have led to issues with Cookie, a male dog, the prosecutor claimed.
After the tragedy, Chanel Fong (pictured) was said to have posted on Facebook that the XL bully named Cookie which inflicted the fatal injuries was a ‘big boy and plays too rough’
During police questioning, Fong said Keven Jones had told her he was going outside to get two dogs.
She was inside but heard him say: ‘Cookie, get off me.’
Mr Connor said jurors would see ‘graphic’ images of his injuries, with blood pumping from his leg.
Fong called emergency services and tried to give first aid.
But due to the ‘terrible’ injuries, particularly to the back of Mr Jones’s leg, and extreme blood loss, he couldn’t be saved.
Cookie was later destroyed.
Giving evidence, Home Office pathologist Dr Matthew Lyall said Mr Jones weighed 10st and was slim. He had drugs in his system at the time of his death.
‘It’s likely death would have occurred within a small number of minutes,’ he told the court.
The trial continues.
