00:00A routine walk home ended in tragedy in a Warrington driveway.
00:04John McColl, 84, was attacked by an XL bully called Toretto
00:08after he wandered onto the driveway of his neighbour's home in February last year.
00:12Prosecutors told Liverpool Crown Court the attack lasted around 45 minutes,
00:17during which Mr McColl suffered catastrophic injuries.
00:20He died around a month later.
00:22We went through so many different emotions as a family.
00:33The court was told neighbours tried to intervene using household items
00:41in an attempt to get the dog away.
00:43Judge Brian Cummings, KC, said the suffering was quite unspeakable
00:47and said Mr McColl must have been in absolute agony
00:50as he jailed Sean Garner for 12 years for being the owner of a dog dangerously out of control.
00:55In 28 years, these are the worst injuries I've sadly seen to anybody.
01:01I know it was an incident for everybody that attended,
01:05and I'm including the neighbours, witnesses, all the attending officers, medical staff.
01:09It was just an awful traumatic incident for everyone involved.
01:14Family members of Mr McColl said they were left devastated
01:17describing prolonged suffering in hospital where his injuries were so severe
01:21he was shielded by a screen.
01:23It was trying to get your head around.
01:25It was just, it was just awful.
01:26I know, you know, you relive that and you think,
01:31well, I wish I'd have done this and I wish I'd have done that.
01:34But going in that hospital that first time to see your dad just lay there like that was just...
01:40This could have happened to a child who'd gone up that drive to get a ball.
01:44It could have happened to an Amazon delivery driver
01:46who's opened the gate to go and leave a package.
01:48It could have happened to anyone, and that's the message that we really need to get across.
01:53People should not be dying because they've just walked onto the driveway.
01:57Garner also pleaded guilty to owning XL Bully Dogs without exemption certificates
02:01despite the breed being subject to restrictions introduced in 2024.
02:06The court heard conflicting accounts about how the dog came loose,
02:10including claims it was secured in a shed which prosecutors described as absurd.
02:14Unfortunately, there have been some people putting unpleasant comments on social media.
02:20There's been victim blaming going on that I don't agree with at all.
02:25We don't know why Mr McCall went up the driveway,
02:27but the fact is the dog wasn't properly secured.
02:32But the fact that they've shown no remorse, no empathy, no apology,
02:40no, oh my God, I'm so, because if that had been my dog that I'd have done that,
02:43I would have been absolutely devastated.
02:46And I don't know how I would have got over that and that family.
02:53But we've had nothing apart from the lies, blame, abuse of them.
02:58Let's do it.
02:59To be continued...
02:59To be continued...
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