This is the ‘banned’ killer dog that mauled man to death after breaking out of neighbour’s garden
Tragic David Ellam screamed as he was mauled in the street by Aaron Joseph's bull terrier which had a history of attacks on passers-by and a control order imposed by the magistrates
THIS is the first picture of the 'killer' dog which fatally wounded a 52-year-old man after escaping from a neighbour's garden.
Alex - a female bull-type terrier - clamped down on the arm and leg of David Ellam - after escaping from an enclosure by digging underneath a fence.
The first photograph of the mongrel was released by court officials during the trial of its owner Aaron Joseph.
Joseph, 30, denies being the owner of a dog which caused serious injury while being out of control in August 2016 in Huddersfield.
The dog was already the subject of a control order after attacking previous neighbours, the court has heard. It has since been destroyed.
Jurors at his trial at Leeds Crown Court, West Yorks., heard how during the frenzied attack, the animal clamped its jaws first on Mr Ellam's arm and then his leg.
Mr Ellam could be heard screaming "help me, please somebody help me" after being attacked near to his front door while taking his dog, Rollo, for a walk on August 15.
He died at Huddersfield Royal Infirmary at 8.59pmthat evening - some 12 hours after the morning attack.
Clinical animal behaviourist David Ryan told jurors today how the fact that Alex had attacked other neighbours on Joseph's street before meant the attack was foreseeable.
However Mr Ryan believed the ferocity and consequences of the attack were not foreseeable.
He said: "I have been made aware that Alex had bitten people in the vicinity before so it's foreseeable that if she has done it once or twice she will do it again."
Mr Ryan told the court how he had "tested" Alex for aggression at a kennel compound on August 16.
He found her to be submissive while teasing her with a food treat and tapping her on the face..
Alex would simply roll over and wag her tail to "make friends" he said.
However Mr Ryan said on home ground Alex was much more aggressive as she was more confident.
He said: "I would expect the dog to regard the whole garden and possibly the whole street as its territory.
"Slatted fencing allowed her to see out - which means whatever she could see she would regard as her home territory.
"This would build up frustration in her because she cannot make the people go away from her territory.
"This would make her angry that she is not able to deal with things she needs to deal with an make the people go away.
"When she gets a sudden release she would be more aggressive than she would if she had been held back in the first place."
The trial continues.