Man jailed after dog kills his own brother in Derby house

A dog owner has been jailed after his pet dog attacked and killed his own brother at a house in Derby.

Gary Stevens rang the East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAS) just before 6am on Saturday 22 April to report that his dog named Ace had attacked a man.

Police attended along with paramedics but struggled to get into the house in Cameron Road, Normanton, as Stevens failed to get the dog under control. When a paramedic did manage to enter the house, the dog went for him – managing to bite him on the upper leg causing a minor injury.

Thirty minutes after the initial emergency call, at 6.36am, Stevens eventually left the house and paramedics were finally able to check on the injured man, who turned out to be Stevens’ 51-year-old brother Wayne, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Meanwhile officers were attempting to get Stevens to put the dog – who they knew by this time had fatally injured someone – in the back of a police van.

However, the 55-year-old, who was very drunk, was incapable of putting the dog into the van and became increasingly aggressive towards officers and began threatening to let the dog off the lead and get it to attack them.

Due to his behaviour, and starting to move aggressively towards the officers, the dog was tasered and had Captur spray used against it. However, this proved ineffective, and the dog was loose in the street – with officers very concerned that others may be seriously hurt.

Sadly, due to the fatal attack and the risk that the dog posed, armed officers were called and destroyed the dog, a Cane Corso cross, at the scene.

When questioned by officers Stevens told them that he and Wayne had been drinking all day and were both very drunk. He did not know what had caused the dog to attack his brother and that he fought to try and pull the dog off him but that he was overpowered and could not stop the attack.

During the interview he also told officers that Ace, who had been given to him by a woman who said she could not handle him, had already bitten other people and dogs and would need to be restrained by Stevens in public if he took a dislike to any person or animal.

None of the bites had been reported to the police and while Stevens tried to explain them away as just “nips” that they had been to people’s faces and that he knew that the dog would normally go for the face and neck.

Wayne had been attacked to the face and body and died due to the loss of blood as a result of the bites he sustained. 

Stevens admitted one charge of being in charge of a dog that was dangerously out of control causing injury resulting in death at an earlier hearing at Derby Crown Court.

Appearing at the same court today (18 October 2024) Stevens was jailed for four-and-a-half years.

DC Stevie Barker, who led the investigation, said: “Owning an animal of any kind brings with it serious responsibilities – and any dog is capable of being aggressive.

“However, Gary Stevens showed himself to be singularly incapable of looking after a dog of this type.

“He failed to control the dog – despite knowing the dangers it posed from previous incidents – leading to the most horrific outcome.

“While there is no suggestion that the attack was in anyway directed by Stevens he had the ultimate responsibility to control his dog and protect others from it – and he failed in that duty.

“The incident has had a profound effect on the Stevens family given the circumstances and our condolences remain with them and I would ask that their privacy is respected at this time.”

Detective Inspector Chris Barker said: “This was a very difficult incident which put officers and paramedics at significant risk, and I would like to extend my gratitude to those who attended this tragic incident.  

“All those who attended – from both the force and EMAS – were put in a very dangerous position both to try and help Wayne and then keep the public safe.

“They did everything they could to try and protect everyone involved and not cause harm to the dog involved, however, ultimately there was no other option than for it to be destroyed.

“I am sure the swift actions and clear decision making at the scene helped prevent further injury to others.

“My thoughts, as they have been from the start of this investigation, are with Wayne’s family and I thank them for their support throughout this process.”