A man who was allegedly killed by an XL Bully dog in Sunderland has been named by police. Ian Langley, originally from Liverpool but living in Shiney Row near Sunderland, suffered severe neck injuries in an attack on Tuesday evening and died in hospital.
Northumbria Police received a report of an attack at an address in Maple Terrace in Shiney Row, Sunderland, at around 6.55pm yesterday.
Emergency services attended the scene and Mr Langley, aged 54, was taken to hospital with serious, life-threatening injuries where he died on Tuesday night.
A police cordon remains in place on Maple Terrace in Shiney Row near Sunderland— ( (Owen Humphreys/PA))
Northumbria Police said the owner, aged 44, was originally arrested on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm but was re-arrested on suspicion of murder.
Michael Kennedy, 64, also from Shiney Row, knew Mr Langley for more than 20 years, and said many people knew him simply as “Scouse”.
He told PA Press Agency: “He was a really nice lad, he came from Liverpool, he was a lovable rogue you might say.
“That lad must have been eight stone, he seemed malnourished and was not looking after himself.
“I was worried about him, telling him to look after himself and be careful.
“He used to go to the church every Tuesday, where people go to help each other out.
“My mam goes and every time I saw him he would ask after her. He was a very caring fella.
“The reason I am speaking to you (the press) is because I don’t want his name to be tarnished, he doesn’t deserve that. I am heartbroken.
“He never did any harm, he was not a violent person, he wasn’t a hard man, he wasn’t the type to go looking for trouble.
“He was really thin, he would have no chance against a big dog.”
Linda Blyth, who lives in Maple Terrace, said she saw paramedics working on the injured man’s neck. The attack happened on a grassy area behind her home, she said.
She told the PA news agency: “We were told ‘go in, shut your doors’ and then I heard the gun shot.”
The dog was shot in the owner’s yard.
“I don’t know what set the dog off, everyone is speculating,” she said.
Speaking of the paramedics, she said: “It was awful to see, you don’t expect it on your doorstep.”
She said she could hear their heart monitor beeping as the man was stretchered past.
A friend of hers had just visited the XL bully that lunchtime and told her: “It’s soft as clarts.”
A local dog owner, who asked not to be named, frequently saw two XL bullies being walked in the area.
He saw the man’s throat had been injured.
He said: “I heard a girl screaming for the police, saying the man was dying.
“The man got put in the ambulance and they were working on him here for about 10 minutes before they set off.
“I have seen the two dogs before, they are well known in the area, an older one and a younger one.
“They shot the older one in the yard.”
While further assessment will be carried out, officers said they believe the dog to be an XL Bully breed.
A second dog, also believed to be an XL Bully breed, was also seized as a precaution.
The latest attack comes as the Government looks to ban American XL bully dogs in response to a series of attacks.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak promised to ban the breed in September under the Dangerous Dogs Act by the end of the year.
