Full Breakdown
Woman Acquitted in Fatal XL Bully Dog Attack
8/15/2026, 1:31:01 AM
Incident and Trial Overview
On May 23, 2022, Keven Jones, 62, of Chester, was bitten on the leg by an American XL Bully named Cookie while in the rear garden of his daughter-in-law Chanel Fong’s home on Holt Road in Wrexham. The bite caused severe arterial damage and he died of blood loss despite first-aid attempts by Fong and emergency responders. The case was tried at Caernarfon Crown Court, where a jury returned unanimous not-guilty verdicts after three hours of deliberation on the charges that Fong owned the dog or was in charge of it at the time of the attack.
Background & Context
The incident occurred before XL Bullies were added to the United Kingdom’s banned-dog list, a regulatory change prompted by a series of high-profile attacks. Jones was in poor health, taking methadone and other blood-thinning medication, and had a history of drug use, factors highlighted by the prosecution as increasing his vulnerability. The household contained multiple dogs: two XL Bullies named Fire and Rogue (Rogue being Cookie’s mother) and several other dogs registered to Fong’s partner Joshua Jones.
Data & Statistics
- May 23, 2022 – Date of the fatal bite.
- April 6, 2022 – Date on the American Bully Kennel Club registration certificate for Cookie, listing Joshua Jones as the owner.
- Dogs present: Cookie (male XL Bully), Fire (XL Bully), Rogue (female XL Bully, mother of Cookie), plus additional dogs King, Memphis, Legacy, etc.
Official Statements & Responses
Prosecuting counsel Mark Connor argued that the dog was out of control and that Fong’s omission in not assisting Jones with two large, powerful dogs created a catastrophic situation. He emphasized Jones’s health condition and drug use, stating that Fong was aware of these factors. The defence, led by solicitor Rebecca Filletti, contended that ownership was registered to Joshua Jones and that Fong had no control over the dogs at the material time. Filletti highlighted Fong’s attempts to provide first aid and her decision to have Cookie euthanised “because it was the right thing to do.”
Home Office pathologist Dr Matthew Lyall testified that the injuries included a large artery almost completely severed and that death would have occurred within a small number of minutes. He also confirmed the presence of THC, cocaine, opioid and methadone in Jones’s system, noting that toxicology alone could not determine the victim’s actions immediately before the attack.
Verbatim Quotes
- “Fong said: "I never thought that would happen.” — Chanel Fong
- “It's likely death would have occurred in a small number of minutes - but I can't be more precise than that.” — Pathologist Dr Matthew Lyall
The jury’s verdict cleared Fong of both the ownership and control charges, concluding that the prosecution had not proven beyond reasonable doubt that she bore criminal responsibility for the fatal attack.
