Terrington St John dog owner James Manning in court after ‘excruciating and horrendous’ XL Bully attack on postwoman

A postwoman thought she was going to die after an XL Bully grabbed hold of her arm and dragged her along the ground, causing numerous long-lasting injuries.

Passers-by were able to intervene and tackle the dog off of the woman, who had been walking her own dog at the time.

The owner of the XL Bully was James Manning, 51, of Main Road, Terrington St John, who appeared at Lynn Magistrates’ Court on Thursday. He pleaded guilty to being the owner of a dog which was dangerously out of control.

The court heard that Manning’s dog had escaped from his front garden and started to attack the victim and her dog.

The incident took place on June 21 last year at 9am on the road Manning lives on.

The attack left the woman with multiple puncture wounds at the top of her arm, as well as many other injuries.

She was rushed to Lynn’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital for treatment.

Emergency services were called to the scene, including police, and the XL Bully was taken away and euthanised.

Manning was arrested and interviewed by officers, and told them that the dog belonged to him after he had taken it on from a friend.

He said he did not see or hear the attack due to being in his upstairs bathroom at the time.

In a victim impact statement read aloud in court, the victim described the fear she faced at the time of the attack - and also slammed Manning by calling him an “irresponsible dog owner” who “disregards the law”.

The woman said: “The trauma this has caused me has changed my life. I thought I was going to die.

“My recovery is still ongoing. It was an excruciating and horrendous ordeal.”

She described her injuries as “disfiguring and painful” eight months on from the attack. She had also torn a retina in her eye and is undergoing therapy sessions to treat PTSD.

“I experience flashbacks whenever I leave my house. I cannot walk my dog near my house anymore,” the victim added.

The woman described how she has recently become a first-time grandmother, but cannot take part in the care of the new baby due to her injuries.

“This was something I was looking forward to,” she said.

She also said the clothing she was wearing on the day she was attacked was “shredded and soaked in blood”, and she had to pay extensive vet bills for her own dog.

The woman added that she has seen Manning’s children walking a replacement “bully-type dog” since the attack occurred.

“He still has total disregard for the law,” she said.

“I believe he has learnt nothing from the attack. If he is not held to account for his actions, in my opinion, someone will be attacked or killed by one of his dogs.”

The woman added that Manning has not apologised to her since the attack in June.

“If it hadn’t been for the brave people who came and rescued me and got the dog off of me, I don’t think I would have survived,” she said.

Prosecutor Abdul Khan told the court that Manning has a “lengthy list” of previous convictions.

He was in court last year after he was caught with a Class B drug in his possession.

In mitigation, solicitor Alison Muir said that Manning had not got another XL Bully dog since his previous dangerous dog was euthanised.

She described Manning as a “responsible dog owner” and said the police had never been called before this incident about a dangerous dog.

Ms Muir also told the court that police and the RSPCA have visited Manning’s home since the incident and have raised no concerns about any of his animals.

“He thought this was a well-behaved dog - his children played with it,” Ms Muir said.

“He is devastated that the dog was euthanised.”

An all-options pre-sentence report will be carried out on Manning before he hears his fate. He is at risk of facing a prison sentence.

He will return to court on March 20 to be sentenced. In the meantime, Manning has been released on unconditional bail.