A dog owner whose pet mauled his younger brother to death has been jailed for four-and-a-half years.
Wayne Stevens, 51, was fatally attacked by his brother Gary Stevens’ Cane Corso cross at their home in Derby last year.
Police were called to a house on Cameron Road just after 5.50am on Saturday April 22, 2023, to reports that a man had been seriously injured. Tragically Wayne died at the scene.
The dog was shot dead at the scene after ‘presenting a risk to officers and the public’, Derbyshire Police said at the time.
Gary, 54, pleaded guilty to being in charge of a dangerously out-of-control dog under the Dangerous Dogs Act. He was today sentenced to four-and-a-half years at Derby Crown Court.
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.’
Following his death, Wayne’s sister Julie Stevens paid tribute to her brother, penning: ‘Still can’t believe it.
‘It feels like we’re in a nightmare can’t get my head round any of this RIP Wayne we will always love you brother.’
Before the emotional message, Julie previously shared a picture of her brother.
She wrote alongside it: ‘R.I.P to our dear brother Wayne aka trend I can’t believe it still in shock to hear the news you’ve really gone…
‘Why can’t it just be a dream that we can wake up from we will love you always bro and you will forever be missed fly high in paradise until we meet again.’
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.