A 62-year-old man from Chester bled to death after being bitten on the leg by an American XL Bully in his daughter-in-law's garden in Wrexham, a jury at Caernarfon Crown Court has heard. Keven Jones, who suffered from poor health and was taking methadone and blood-thinning medication, died on 23 May 2022 while staying at the home of Chanel Fong. Fong, 33, denies being the dog's owner and denies an alternative charge of being the person in charge of the animal at the time of the attack.
The attack happened before American XL Bullies were formally added to the list of banned breeds in the UK in October 2023, meaning the case does not turn on whether the dog, named Cookie, belonged to a prohibited type. Prosecutor Mark Connor told jurors the central question was instead whether the dog was "dangerously out of control" and whether Fong bore legal responsibility for it, either as its owner or as the person in charge of it at the time.
What happened on the day Keven Jones died?
Connor told the court that at around 11:30 BST on 23 May 2022, Jones told Fong he would bring two dogs, Cookie and another XL Bully called Fire, in from the back garden. Fong then heard him cry out.
Cookie, get off me mate
The court heard that Fong had called into the garden for Cookie to get down, at which point Jones approached her, appearing unsteady, and pointed to his leg, from which blood was pumping.
he's got me there
Connor said the prosecution accepts that Fong called emergency services immediately and attempted first aid, including applying pressure to the wound, but that Jones could not be saved. A post-mortem examination found that he died from extreme blood loss caused by the dog bites. Cookie was later put down humanely with the consent of both Fong and Jones's son.
Why is Chanel Fong facing trial over the attack?
The court was told that Cookie was owned jointly by Fong and her partner, Joshua Jones, the victim's son, although he was not present during the attack. Connor said that in her police interview, Fong stated that on paper the dog belonged to her partner.
Jurors also heard that another XL Bully at the property, Cookie's mother Rogue, was inside the house at the time because she was in season and had therefore been kept apart from the other dogs. Connor argued that Fong's awareness of this situation was significant.
He had been left on his own to deal with two powerful XL Bully's while Fong was in the living room.
She was also aware that Cookie's mother, another XL Bully, was in season in the house, which she knew could have led to issues with Cookie, a male dog.
The prosecution's case is that Fong's decision not to help Jones bring the dogs indoors, given what she knew about the animals, contributed to what Connor described as a "catastrophic state of affairs". He acknowledged that jurors might conclude both Fong and Jones had been in charge of the dog at the material time, but said the prosecution rejects that view because of Jones's poor health, which Fong was aware of.
What did Fong say about the dog after the attack?
The court's first witness, Detective Constable Kate Pollard, who led the investigation, read out an account Fong had posted on social media in the days after Jones's death. In it, Fong described Jones as someone who handled the dogs "just as good as me and Josh" and recounted hearing him tell Cookie to get off him and telling her that he had been bitten.
Fong said in the post that she had tried to stop the bleeding and performed chest compressions while waiting for an ambulance.
not shake off the feeling
She also wrote that Cookie had not "deliberately" attacked Jones, but that the dog "plays too rough" and that she believed he still thought he was "a puppy". As Pollard read the account aloud, Fong was seen sobbing in the dock. Pollard told the court she felt grief for the loss of both Jones and the dog.
How does this case fit a wider pattern of attacks linked to the breed?
The case adds to a series of fatal incidents involving American XL Bullies in the UK in recent years. According to a report by The Independent, at least 14 deaths have been linked to the breed since 2021, including the fatal mauling of 10-year-old Jack Lis in Wales that year, according to a summary of previous incidents. Separately, campaigners at Bully Watch have said American bully XLs and bully-type mixes were linked to 45% of dog attacks in one recent year, according to a feature on the rise of the breed.
In response to such incidents, it became a criminal offence in England and Wales to possess an American XL Bully without an exemption certificate from 1 February 2024, according to a report on subsequent legal action over another fatal attack. Separately, a woman named Kelcie Reed pleaded guilty to being in charge of an XL Bully that fatally attacked her cousin Morgan Dorsett in Bristol on 26 February 2025 and was granted bail with strict conditions ahead of sentencing, illustrating that prosecutions of this kind have continued even after the breed-specific ban came into force.
What happens next in the trial?
No date has yet been given for the conclusion of proceedings or for a verdict, and the trial at Caernarfon Crown Court is continuing, with jurors expected to be shown further evidence, including graphic images of Jones's injuries, before reaching a decision on whether Fong was legally responsible for the dog at the time of the attack.
Key Facts
- Keven Jones, 62, died on 23 May 2022 after being bitten on the leg by an American XL Bully named Cookie in Wrexham.
- Chanel Fong, 33, denies being the dog's owner and denies being the person in charge of it at the time of the attack.
- A post-mortem found Jones died from extreme blood loss caused by dog bites; Cookie was later humanely euthanised.
- The attack predated the addition of American XL Bullies to the UK's banned breed list in October 2023.
- Possessing an XL Bully without an exemption certificate became a criminal offence in England and Wales from 1 February 2024.
