Tearful rapper whose dogs killed grandmother in Jaywick 'did not believe XL Bullies were aggressive'

ANGLIA 060224 Ashley Warren rapper dog attack Jaywick Facebook
Ashley Warren said he had not believed XL Bullies were aggressive. Credit: Ashley Warren/Instagram

A rapper whose dogs killed his son's grandmother said he did not believe XL bullies were aggressive - and would never have bought them as pets if he had.

A tearful Ashley Warren told The Sun the dogs had ruined his life and his son's and he would like to see the breed "wiped out".

"I didn't believe all this stuff about the bullies, I thought it was all lies and just people trying to kill off the breed of dog," he told the newspaper.

"Now I learned the hard way and I wish I'd had nothing to do with bullies", he said.

Mr Warren, 39, whose rapper name is Wyless Man, said Esther Martin, 68, had come to the house to look after his son on Saturday while he went to London to film a music video.

An inquest hearing was told Esther Martin had sustained ‘unsurvivable’ dog bite wounds Credit: Essex Police/PA

She died after being attacked by the dogs at a property in Hillman Avenue in Jaywick.

Police arrived “within minutes”, but despite the efforts of six officers as well as members of the public, Ms Martin – who was visiting her 11-year-old grandson – died at the scene.

Ms Martin's daughter said her mother had been trying to break up a fight between puppies when she was attacked.

Police at the scene of the dog attack in Jaywick. Credit: PA Images

Ashley Warren said he had moved to Essex to give his son a fresh start after the death of his mum, adding that Ms Martin had visited often.

He said his dogs - Beauty and Bear - were registered XL bullies and had had a litter of puppies.

Mr Warren put pictures of the puppies on Facebook when he was trying to sell them. Credit: Facebook/Ashley Warren

He said Ms Martin had been a regular visitor to his house and had often petted the dogs.

Police have yet to confirm the breed of the two dogs, which were destroyed by officers at the scene.

They praised the bravery of neighbours who tried to intervene to save Ms Martin's life.

New laws have made it a crime in England and Wales to own an XL bully without a certificate.

Mr Warren had previously described the rules as a joke but told The Sun now he "couldn't support them enough."

He said: “Never in a million years did I see [the dogs] as a risk.

“If my dogs did that to her, when I had never seen anything but love from them, then that breed just has a killer switch."

Mr Warren was arrested by police on suspicion of dangerous dog offences and was released on bail until March.

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