A man has pleaded not guilty to owning or being in charge of two XL bully dogs which killed a woman.
Esther Martin, 68, was mauled to death by the dogs in Jaywick, Essex, on February 3 this year.
Ashley Warren denied two counts of owning dogs dangerously out of control causing injury resulting in death at Chelmsford Crown Court. He'll face trial in August 2025.
Warren is the first person charged with dog offences since the XL Bully ban in England, which came into effect just days before the fatal attack.
The dogs, Beauty and Bear, were put down by Essex Police at the scene.
Warren, from Leyton but previously of Jaywick, also denied possessing a knife at Clacton railway station on February 3.
An inquest revealed the victim suffered "unsurvivable" dog bite wounds. The cause of death was recorded as"dog bite wounds to the upper right limb".
The attack occurred in Jaywick, where the woman was found unresponsive inside a property on Hillman Avenue.
A three-to-four week trial was fixed for August 11 2025.
Warren was given conditional bail.
