The terrifying final moments of a man mauled to death in a vicious XL bully attack have been revealed.

Christopher Bell, 45, from Hull, today appeared at Newcastle Crown Court to admit a charge of being the owner of a dog which caused injury leading to death while dangerously out of control in a public place.

Ian Langley, 54, died in hospital after Bell’s tan and white XL Bully called Titan suddenly lunged at his throat in Sunderland, on the evening of October 3 last year.

Following the conclusion of today’s hearing, Crown Prosecution Services shared details of how Bell ran from his home after someone smashed one of his windows.

In a fit of rage, the 45-year-old thought that Mr Langley was the culprit and chased him with his two dogs down the road.

It was one of these dogs, an out of control XL Bully, which ultimately grabbed Mr Langley by the throat and inflicted fatal injuries.

Panicked, the defendant attempted to make a 999 call but despite the arrival of emergency services on the scene, Mr Langley could not be saved.

Mr Langley, who only weighed eight stone, had been desperately trying to protect his puppy from injury when Titan went for him, leaving him with terrible bite wounds to his neck.

He was taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries but died a short time later.

Titan was shot dead by police at the scene to protect the public. It was understood at the time that another XL Bully was taken away by police for public safety.

Bow bolted and managed to escape and was looked after by a neighbour in the aftermath of the shocking attack which horrified residents living on the estate.

Today the court heard Bell would be sentenced on January 23 next year and has been granted conditional bail in the meantime.

Judge Robert Adams said he would give no indication of the likely sentence but warned ‘all options’ will be open to the court.

The attack happened before the XL Bully ban came into force on January 1 this year, making it illegal to own the breed without an exemption certificate.

Mr Langley needed CPR for around 15 minutes as emergency services fought to staunch heavy bleeding from his wounds.

Leading the investigation, Detective Chief Inspector Jason Henry, of Northumbria Police, said: ‘Our thoughts continue to be with Ian’s loved ones following his tragic death.

‘They have shown significant strength during this time.

‘We also recognise the impact this devastating incident had on the wider community and I would like to thank all those who have helped with the investigation.’

He added: ‘This case highlights the very tragic consequences of what can happen when people fail to control dogs within their care.

‘We would urge everyone to follow the legislation and guidance in place to help protect themselves and others from events like this happening in the future.’

At the time, Michael Kennedy, also from Shiney Row, said he had known Mr Langley for more than 20 years, and said many people knew him simply as ‘Scouse’.

He said: ‘He was a really nice lad, he came from Liverpool, he was a lovable rogue you might say.’

Mr Kennedy added: ‘He never did any harm, he was not a violent person, he wasn’t a hard man, he wasn’t the type to go looking for trouble.

‘He was really thin, he would have no chance against a big dog.’

Neighbour Linda Blyth, 56, said in the aftermath of the gruesome attack: ‘It was really awful, it’s a tragedy for everyone involved, but especially the family of the man who was attacked.

‘It happened on the grassed area in front of the houses and we’re not sure exactly what started it.

‘It seems as though the man was trying to get his puppy out of the way when the XL Bully took hold of him.

‘The streets were very quickly filled with police, there were blue lights everywhere and they were working to try to make the area safe. I could see paramedics working on the injured man. They were doing CPR but were also trying to stop the blood.’

In a video shared on social media last year, an armed police officer stood on ladders to reach over a fence into a yard and shoot the animal from the road.

MailOnline last year revealed claims that the XL Bully had launched other attacks before the killing.

Mr Langley’s friend Janice Gonzales in October 2023: ‘I’m aware of two people whose dogs have been attacked by that XL Bully and apparently there have been more than that.

‘Ian was here at 3pm on Tuesday, chatting and helping to weed my back yard. He said he’d come back today to help me with my allotment because I suffer arthritis.

‘That’s the kind of man he was, kind and helpful and friendly. He always walked Beau along that same route but on Tuesday night something happened and it seems as though the bully went for Bow and Ian picked her up to try to keep her safe.

‘The dog’s got hold of him and the injuries were terrible. We were up all night waiting for news because we heard to begin with that he’d survived.

‘My daughter came round devastated to say he had died and it was just awful. Bow ran away during the attack and we thought she must have been killed as well but she was found and someone brought her to us and we took her in to look after her.

‘We also have a male Patterdale and Ian had talked of breeding them. She was a bit shaken but she’s doing OK now. He loved her and she was a great companion for him.’