Man whose Cane Corso mauled brother to death jailed for four years

It was described as a 'horrific' attack

A dog owner whose eight-stone Cane Corso mauled to death his younger brother by causing horrific injuries has been jailed for four-and-a-half years. Gary Stevens knew the 14-month-old dog was aggressive and “would normally go for the face and neck” before it attacked his sibling Wayne Stevens, Derby Crown Court was told.

Stevens, 55, sat with his head bowed in the dock as prosecutors outlined how his brother was found dead at their home in Cameron Road, Normanton, Derby, after a 999 call at 5.52am on April 22 last year. Judge Shaun Smith KC was told Stevens wrongly told an emergency operator the Cane Corso was a poodle before police and paramedics were confronted by the “incredibly heavy” dog.

After hearing how Stevens was abusive to emergency crews before the “frenzied” dog was repeatedly tasered and eventually shot almost an hour later, Judge Smith told the father-of-three: “Paramedics and police officers attended the scene and you came to the front door clearly very drunk.

“You were obstructive as your exchanges with the officers continued. Police officers tried to persuade you to bring the dog under control – your response was to mock them for standing back.”

The judge added: “I am entirely satisfied that you clearly knew of the dangers this dog presented prior to that fateful night. There was a lack or loss of control of the dog due to the influence of alcohol.”

During his sentencing remarks, the judge accepted that witnessing the death of his brother and being unsuccessful in saving him was likely to have affected the defendant’s mental health. The court was told the victim, aged 51, who had been drinking vodka with his brother after returning from a pub, died near the foot of a stairway after suffering what the judge summarised as “multiple, massive and horrific” injuries.

Stevens, now of Vicarage Road, Mickleover, Derby, pleaded guilty in September last year to being in charge of a dog dangerously out of control causing injury resulting in the death. As part of his sentence, Stevens was also given a life ban from keeping a dog.

The court was told the Cane Corso was a “blend with some sort of bull terrier” which was not an XL bully, and was given to Stevens by a mother-of-five who had “too much going on” to look after it.