Danger dog mauls man to death as he tries to save terrier
Police handed killer animal back to owner just one week earlier
A MAN was killed while trying to save his pet Yorkie from a dog which had been seized by police for being dangerous – but then returned to its owner.
Witnesses alerted by David Ellam’s chilling screams watched in horror as the dog, described as ‘a type of bull terrier’, clamped its jaws around his head and shook him ‘like a rag’.
One threw a kitchen knife to the 52-year-old victim to defend himself, but such was the savagery of the attack that the animal held on even when targeted with a hosepipe.
The dog only relented when a police officer arrived and bravely used a fire extinguisher to force the animal off, said a witness.
It obediently returned to its kennel when the owner, who had rushed back home from work, arrived and shouted ‘Alex’.
By that time Mr Ellam, who had been mauled on the arm, leg and head, was unconscious, having lost a large amount of blood.
He was rushed to hospital by ambulance but died 11 hours later.
The attack happened while Mr Ellam was out with his terrier near his home. His dog was also injured and received emergency veterinary care.
Police denied a claim by a witness that officers refused to Taser the animal for fear of killing it.
A police spokesman said: ‘Authority was given for the animal to be despatched by firearms but officers present were able to subdue it using non-lethal means.’
Residents said Mr Ellam was one of the people to have reported the dog to police for being an apparent dangerous breed. West Yorkshire Police confirmed the animal was seized by police on June 22 ‘on suspicion it was a banned pit bull terrier’.
A spokesman said: ‘Following a screening it was determined the animal, while a type of bull terrier, did not have enough pit bull characteristics to be held by authorities as a banned breed under the Dangerous Dogs Act.
It was subsequently returned to its owner on August 8.’ The Act bans four breeds: the Japanese tosa, fila brasileiro, dogo argentino and the pit bull terrier. After the attack, officers arrested a 29-yearold man who owned the dog and later released him on bail pending further inquiries. The dog has been taken to kennels while a decision is made on its fate.
The dog – described by locals as ‘Staffie-labrador cross’ – is said to have bitten one or more people previously.
Carol Hanson, a friend of Mr Ellam’s partner, told the BBC: ‘It had been locked up already for biting somebody. Why did they let that dog go? Why did they let that dog back out when it was vicious?’
The incident has been referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission because of the police involvement.
The owner and the victim lived in separate flats next to each other in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire. Mr Ellam, who worked at a local indoor sports centre, had recently separated from his wife Sharon and the couple had no children, said a relative.
Neighbours said the dog was kept in a wooden enclosure in the yard near the flats and usually tethered, but was loose when it attacked Mr Ellam at around 9.45am on Monday.
It emerged last night that the public area next to where the dog was kept was under a Dog Control Order imposed by the local authority, which means that dogs in the vicinity must be kept on a lead.
One neighbour, who asked not to be named, told how he was watching TV when he heard someone cry: ‘Help, this dog is attacking me.’
He said he immediately phoned the owner and went to try and help.
He said: ‘The dog latched onto the guy’s head and had him in a vice,’ he said. ‘The dog then started ragging his head from side to side.
‘Someone else got out a hosepipe and used that at the dog - but it still wouldn’t let go and kept on dragging the man closer to its kennel.’
Detective Chief Inspector Mark Swift said the victim’s family were ‘devastated’ by the tragedy. He added: ‘Our investigation is continuing.’
‘Why did they let the dog back out?’