The daughters of a grandmother who tragically died after being attacked by her son-in-law’s XL bully dogs attribute her death to the rapper’s arrogance. Esther Martin, a vulnerable 68-year-old with mobility issues, sustained severe bite wounds from the hulking dogs, leading to fatal bleeding just days after the breed was banned in England and Wales.
In an emotional statement to the BBC, Sonia Martin-Coppen, one of Esther’s daughters, expressed outrage at Ashley Warren for leaving her mother to care for the pack of powerful dogs. She emphasized Warren’s disregard for the law and his failure to rehome the dogs despite being aware of the impending ban.
Warren, aged 41, was recently found guilty of owning an XL Bully dog that fatally attacked Esther in February 2024, marking the first deadly incident involving the banned breed. Prior to the attack, Esther had been asked by Warren to supervise two XL Bullies and eight puppies at his residence in Jaywick, Essex, while he worked on a music video in London.
CCTV footage captured the distressing sounds of the attack at Warren’s house, where the dogs were described as being in a frenzied state. Following the incident, Warren was convicted of owning one of the dogs involved in the fatal attack and of possessing a knife.
Esther’s family members highlighted her physical limitations, including arthritis and previous hip surgeries, making it clear that she was unfit to handle the powerful animals. The combined weight of the dogs in Warren’s house amounted to approximately 190kg, further underscoring the unsuitability of leaving Esther in charge of them.
Despite Warren’s claims of the dogs’ friendliness and loyalty, the prosecution argued that Esther was ill-equipped to manage them, given her age and mobility issues. The court heard that Warren had not obtained exemption certificates for the dogs, contradicting his earlier statements to law enforcement.
Warren, now residing in Addlestone, Surrey, maintained his innocence, stating that he never anticipated such a tragic outcome. The court was informed that the dogs were imposing and unpredictable, posing a significant risk to someone like Esther, who lacked the physical capability to control them.
The jury’s decision to convict Warren of owning one of the dogs involved in the attack reflects the tragic circumstances that unfolded due to the mismatch between Esther’s vulnerabilities and the dogs’ sheer strength and size. Warren is awaiting sentencing as the legal proceedings continue.
At Reach and across our entities we and our partners use information collected through cookies and other identifiers from your device to improve experience on our site, analyse how it is used and to show personalised advertising. You can opt out of the sale or sharing of your data, at any time clicking the “Do Not Sell or Share my Data” button at the bottom of the webpage. Please note that your preferences are browser specific. Use of our website and any of our services represents your acceptance of the use of cookies and consent to the practices described in our <a data-testid="cipa-privacy-notice-link" href="https://www.mirror.co.uk/privacy-notice/" rel="noreferrer" target
