The dog, named Bear, killed 68-year-old Esther Martin, while she was at Warren’s home on Hillman Avenue, Jaywick, Essex, on 3 February 2024.
Ms Martin was looking after two adult XL Bullies, eight puppies and a child while Warren, an amateur rapper who performs under the stage name Wyless Man, was filming a music video in London.
The court heard that the dogs were kept in cramped and filthy conditions likely to have increased their aggression.
They had not been walked for four weeks before the incident, and none of the animals was registered with a vet.
Animal behaviour consultant Dr Candy D’Sa told the court how Warren’s property was “a small, impoverished environment… not big enough for two adults, let alone a litter as well”.
One of the adult dogs called Beauty weighed 39.2kg and the other adult, Bear, weighed 47kg.
Microchip scans showed that both dogs were still registered with their previous owners, and none of the eight puppies had been microchipped.
The puppies were three-and-a half months old when the incident happened and had not been socialised properly, D’Sa said.
The adult dogs were kept in a bedroom with a “filthy” mattress, and there were scratches on the doorframe indicating they had tried to get out, she added.
The jury heard the puppies were being kept in a gated area “totally unsuitable even for a small breed litter, even for a single puppy”, and the concrete area outside – with no grass – was too small.
There was evidence of faeces both inside and outside the house, D’Sa said, and there was “a tremendous lack of hygiene”.
The jury heard that on the day of the incident, Martin had used a broom to try to stop the puppies fighting, and the adult dogs – who were in separate room – would have been aware of the commotion.
“I believe that Beauty would have shown aggression towards someone she didn’t know that well,” D’Sa said.
The court was told that Bear had been standing up against a fence inside the property next to Martin. Beauty ran at the gate, pushing Bear into Esther, which resulted in her falling on to a counter, hitting her head.
“These dogs would have been incredibly frustrated by now. There were no outlets for their natural behaviours – they were confined in a very small space with very little to do,” D’Sa told the court.
“I think the welfare of these dogs had a very, very significant impact on their behaviour and what happened on the day of the attack.”
Police officers discharged Tasers when they went into the property, before the adult dogs were destroyed at the scene.
Asked if the dogs could have been removed from the scene alive, D’Sa said there was “no safe possibility” given the threat to human life.
“They were behaving too aggressively for any other choice to have been made,” she said.
The court was told that the eight puppies were also later put down.
Warren made a series of unprompted comments about his dogs to police on 23 January 2024
Evidence suggested he was aware of the dogs’ strength.
He chased Bear outside after the dog escaped from the house on 31 January 2024, and CCTV footage showed him struggling to hold him.
The day before, Warren wrote in a message that the animals were “too much for me”.
Police also visited Warren a week before the attack, where he lied, saying he already had exemption paperwork for Bear, purchased on Gumtree.
While giving evidence, he insisted he could not have predicted “in a million years” his “gentle” dogs killing someone.
Jurors found Warren guilty of being the owner of a dog that caused injury resulting in death while dangerously out of control in a private place.
They found him not guilty in relation to the second adult dog, Beauty, on the basis that she was owned by his girlfriend.
He was also convicted of possessing a knife, which police found upon arrest.
Sentenced to 10 years and three months in prison. Banned from owning a dog indefinitely.