John McColl, 84, died after a brutal 45-minute attack by an XL bully dog named Toretto. The savage assault happened when Mr McColl accidentally wandered onto the driveway of dog owner Sean Garner’s home in Warrington, Cheshire, last February.
Dog Shot After Devastating Attack
Mr McColl suffered catastrophic facial injuries and tragically died about a month later in hospital, Liverpool Crown Court heard. Armed police shot the 7st 4lb dog 10 times to stop the attack. A second dog found in the house was also shot dead. Forensic evidence revealed the dog was so starved it had started eating Mr McColl alive. 
Family Confronts Owner in Court,
“Your dog basically ate my grandad, but you and your family don’t care,”
said granddaughter Kelly Percival, 33, to Garner in court.
“You robbed us of our dad, grandad, great-grandad, but you don’t care and it’s not OK,”
added Mr McColl’s daughter, Joann Percival, 57.
Owner Sean Garner Denies True Remorse
The 31-year-old was convicted of owning a dangerously out-of-control dog that caused injury. Judge Brian Cummings KC slammed Garner’s repeated lies about the attack.
“If there ever was any remorse it is completely nullified by these offensive lies,”
he said, after Garner absurdly claimed Mr McColl must have unlocked and opened the shed where the dog was kept. The judge described the suffering as “unspeakable” and said Mr McColl, a retired steel erector, must have been in “absolute agony” throughout.
Reckless Owner’s Troubled Past
Garner’s history includes driving and drug offences. He pleaded guilty before trial to owning two XL bullies without exemptions, despite falsely telling his landlord he only had one French bulldog. At the time of the attack, he was disqualified from driving but still ran a vehicle recovery business. Defence lawyer Lloyd Morgan said Garner expressed “deepest sympathy” and cared for his pregnant partner battling stage three Hodgkin lymphoma. Sean Garner was sentenced to 12 years in prison for the horrific ordeal that destroyed the McColl family and shocked the local community.
