XL bully dog which fatally bit man was not type to savage anyone, defendant says

A woman who denies owning an XL bully that bit her partner's father, causing him to bleed to death, has told a court the animal was not "the type of dog to savage anyone".

Chanel Fong, 33, is accused of being the owner of the dog, Cookie, that was allegedly dangerously out of control at the time, as well as an alternative charge of being the person in charge of the dog at the time of the attack.

Her partner's father, Keven Jones, 62, from Chester, died from severe blood loss after being bitten on the leg.

The court heard he had been in poor health and had been taking methadone and blood thinning medication, and had been staying at Chanel Fong's Wrexham home in May 2022.

The court previously heard the dog was owned by Fong and her partner, the victim's son Joshua Jones, who was not present at the time of the attack.

Prosecutor Mark Connor said that Fong had stated Cookie belonged to her partner.

Concluding the prosecution's case on Thursday, Connor said that, in a police interview, Fong told officers: "Cookie isn't the type of dog to savage anyone."

Fong then gave evidence in court, where she was asked by defence barrister Rebecca Filletti whether she would ever leave her seven-year-old daughter alone with a dog.

Fong said she "just wouldn't leave a child with any dog".

The court heard there were six dogs at the property, but only one, a miniature Pinscher called King, was Fong's, while the others all belonged to her partner.

"The other dogs were Josh's dogs. King was solely mine," she said.

Asked who registered the other dogs with a vet, she repeatedly said "Josh".

She said her partner had organised all breeding and registering of the dogs.

Asked who would have had the other dogs if the couple had separated, she again replied: "Josh."

Fong appeared visibly upset as she spoke of her relationship with Keven Jones, describing him as her "father-in-law", although she was not married to his son.

She said she got on with him "really well", describing him as a "functioning" drug addict who was anything "you would expect a normal person to be".

He had owned several dogs during his life, including a boxer and a "Bully breed" at the time of his death, she said.

On the morning of the incident, she said Jones was outside the house when she heard him say: "Get off me Cookie, or get off me mate."

She sobbed as she was asked if she had control of the dogs at the time or saw what was happening, repeatedly saying: "No."

She continued crying as she recalled dialling 999 and was instructed how to perform CPR by the operator.

"I remember shouting to the paramedics that they needed to hurry up... I was scared... it was horrible."

Asked why she later agreed to euthanise Cookie, she said: "Because it was the right thing to do."

Cross-examined by the prosecution, she was asked whether she had made any effort to establish if Jones had taken drugs or had any concerns about him taking charge of the dogs.

"I never knew when he was or wasn't on drugs," she said.

"You didn't bother to ask him?" she was asked by Connor, responding: "No."

She was also repeatedly asked if she had become complacent about the dogs or underestimated the danger they represented.

She replied: "I did underestimate him because he did what he did."

The trial continues.