Overview
- A jury at Chelmsford Crown Court has been empanelled, with the prosecution due to open its case on Monday.
- The judge told jurors it is not disputed that Ashley Warren owned an XL Bully named Bear, which was dangerously out of control and injured Esther Martin, causing her death.
- Jurors must decide whether Warren was in charge of a second dog, Beauty, during the fatal attack.
- The defence will rely on a statutory provision that exempts liability if Warren reasonably believed Esther Martin was a fit and proper person to be in charge of Bear.
- Warren accepts having a knife at Clacton railway station that day, with the jury to consider whether he had a lawful excuse; the trial is expected to last several weeks and may include distressing evidence.