“I’m haunted by dreams of those dogs, what Ian endured," the victim’s wife, Hannah Price, said in a statement at the sentencing hearing

NEED TO KNOW

• James Harrison Trimble-Pettit, 33, was sentenced to five years in prison on Feb. 12 after his off-leash dogs attacked and killed a father of two in England in September 2023
• The victim, 52-year-old Ian Price, was attempting to lead a lost XL Bully dog home when a second XL Bully dog approached and both dogs attacked him
• A judge revealed the attack lasted 12 minutes

A man in England has been sentenced to five years in prison after his dogs attacked and killed a father of two.

James Harrison Trimble-Pettit, 33, of Staffordshire, was sentenced and jailed on Thursday, Feb. 12, per a press release from Staffordshire Police. 

Trimble-Pettit pleaded guilty in October 2025 to being the owner of two “dangerously out of control” dogs who “caused the death of Ian Price,” a 52-year-old dad, on Sept. 14, 2023, per the release.

Price was out walking at about 3:15 p.m local time on the day of the incident when he saw an XL Bully, a large, muscular type of American Bully dog, off leash. He attempted to help lead the dog home, when a second XL Bully approached and both dogs attacked.

Passersby attempted to help, but were unable to stop the dogs. Police arrived on the scene and transported Price to a local hospital, where he “tragically died a short time later.”

One of the dogs was killed at the scene and the other was euthanized a short time later. Trimble-Pettit, the owner of both dogs, was arrested that day.

“Ian was a beloved son, husband, father, brother, uncle and friend to many,” Price’s family said in a statement, per the release.

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“Ian’s final act of trying to return a dog to the safety of its home shows who he was — a selfless man with a big heart. Kind, thoughtful and incredibly brave. His death leaves a hole in our lives that will never be filled, and he will be forever loved and missed,” they added.

Detective Superintendent Cheryl Hannan, who leads the police’s Criminal Investigation Department, said Price’s death was avoidable and that Trimble-Pettitt failed to take “the action that any reasonable person would” by properly securing his dog, per the release.

She added that Price suffered “catastrophic” injuries during the attack.

“Our thoughts have been with Ian’s family and friends from the moment the incident happened and remain with them today,” she continued.

Presiding Judge John Edward noted during the sentencing that the fatal attack lasted a total of 12 minutes, per the BBC.

Hannah Price, the victim’s wife, said that losing her partner “broke her” in a statement given during the hearing.

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"I'm haunted by dreams of those dogs, what Ian endured and the kids' faces when I had to tell them," she continued.

She added, “I always thought Ian was indestructible. He was the toughest man I ever met … as well as being strong, he was kind and dependable."

The attack led to a ban on XL Bully dogs within England and Wales, with Rishi Sunak, the then-Prime Minister, calling the breed "a danger to our communities” at the time, per the BBC.

"It is clear this is not about a handful of badly trained dogs — it is a pattern of behavior and it cannot go on,” he added.

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