Man killed in West Yorkshire dog attack '˜had biggest heart', say family as owner is jailed

David Ellam was killed when father-of-three Aaron Joseph’s mongrel bull terrier attacked him on his doorstep in Huddersfield in August 2016, Leeds Crown Court heard.

Joseph, 30, showed “arrogant and stubborn disregard for the welfare and safety of others”, according to judge Sally Cahill QC.

A jury was told how witnesses were powerless to stop the attack on Mr Ellam, as the dog, called Alex, bit him multiple times as he lay screaming on the floor, shaking him and dragging him along the ground.

Mr Ellam, a former lollipop man, was just setting out to walk his Yorkshire terrier, Rollo, when he was set upon by Alex - a five-year-old female with a history of attacking people.

When a police officer eventually managed to use a fire extinguisher to force the dog to release Mr Ellam, Alex then grabbed Rollo, shaking him from side to side in her mouth.

Joseph, a courier and semi-professional footballer of Riddings Road, Huddersfield, was found guilty of being the owner of a dog which caused death while it was dangerously out of control.

A jury took just half-an-hour to deliberate their verdict.

In a tribute after the hearing, Mr Ellam’s family said: “Dave had the biggest heart and would do anything for anyone.

“Dave, despite pretending to come across as a tough man, was in fact a great big softie shown unfortunately in his undeniable love to protect Rollo.”

The court heard how Alex had only been handed back to Joseph by police a week before the attack.

Officers had seized the dog after Mr Ellam had complained it may be a banned pit bull.

But Alex was returned to Joseph - who normally kept her chained in a pen outside - because it was determined she was not a dangerous breed, as defined by the law.

Prosecutors told the week-long trial that a court granted a dog control order against Joseph, who lived in a flat above Mr Ellam, in 2012, but Joseph ignored the conditions.

Five days before the fatal attack, a dog warde