Overview
- Sean Garner was sentenced to 12 years at Liverpool Crown Court on Friday for owning a dog dangerously out of control that fatally injured John McColl.
- The attack on February 24, 2025 unfolded on Garner’s Warrington driveway during a roughly 45-minute mauling that left the 84-year-old with catastrophic facial injuries and led to his death a month later.
- Armed officers shot the 7st 4lb XL bully, Toretto, ten times at the scene, and police also shot a second XL bully found inside the house.
- Prosecutors detailed failures that included leaving the dog behind a simple latched gate, keeping banned XL bullies without required exemption certificates, and telling a landlord the family only had a French bulldog.
- The judge condemned Garner’s lack of remorse as relatives described profound grief and police reported that some attending officers needed counselling after witnessing the scene.