A 55-year-old man has denied manslaughter after his German Shepherd allegedly became involved in a confrontation with another walker over the right to use a footpath, leaving the man dead.
Lee Ellis, from Calder Grove, Wakefield, pleaded not guilty to manslaughter and to being the owner or person in charge of a dog dangerously out of control causing injury resulting in death.
The case follows the death of James Judge, also 55, after an incident on an old railway footpath off Blacker Lane in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, on August 15.
James Judge died after suffering a dog bite
Emergency services were called to reports of an altercation on the footpath that Saturday afternoon.
James Judge was found with injuries after being bitten by a dog and was taken to Leeds General Infirmary in a critical condition. He died later that evening.
An inquest subsequently heard that a post-mortem examination had given the provisional cause of death as complications arising from a wound to his right leg caused by a dog bite.
The exact number of bites could not initially be established by the post-mortem examination. Prosecutors previously told the court that a bite to the back of Judge’s right knee had significantly contributed to his death.
Judge was born in Horbury, Wakefield, and was living there at the time of his death. The inquest heard that he was unmarried and that he was identified by his mother.
Argument reportedly began over right of way
The circumstances leading up to the fatal incident have been described in court as an argument about who had the right to use the footpath.
Ellis’s solicitor, Rob Fones, previously told the court there had been a “verbal altercation in regards to right of way”. Police had initially described the incident as an altercation on the old train line footpath.
A German Shepherd seized during the investigation has remained in police kennels.
West Yorkshire Police confirmed that Ellis, of Blacker Lane, Calder Grove, had been charged with manslaughter and with being in charge of a dangerously out-of-control dog causing injury resulting in death.
Ellis pleads not guilty
Ellis initially appeared before Bradford Magistrates’ Court after being charged in August and was later granted conditional bail.
At his latest hearing, he formally denied both charges.
Judge Tom Bayliss KC granted Ellis bail ahead of his trial at Leeds Crown Court, which is scheduled to begin on May 17. A further pre-trial hearing is due to take place on April 15.
During an earlier hearing, the court heard that Ellis is a self-employed farrier and had lived in the area for around 30 years.
Inquest adjourned
An inquest into James Judge’s death was opened and then adjourned while the criminal proceedings continue.
Acting senior coroner Oliver Longstaff said the inquest could not yet determine whether it would need to resume until the outcome of the criminal case is known.
The fatal dog bite remains the subject of the criminal proceedings, and Ellis’s charges are allegations that have yet to be proven in court.
The German Shepherd involved in the investigation continues to be held by police, while specially trained officers have been supporting Judge’s family.