XL bully ban explained as inquest hears how man, 33, died after dog attack

The death of a Birmingham man from XL bully dog bites has once again made the controversial breed a national talking point.

Nicholas Glass, 33, died of blunt force trauma from bites after being attacked by four dogs - two of which were XL bullies - an inquest heard, in the latest incident to make headlines involving the banned breed. Glass was found dead in the early hours of 21 August in the garden of a relative's home in Birmingham.

In a separate case, also in Birmingham, the owner of an XL bully that attacked an 11-year-old girl is due to be sentenced on Tuesday. Farhat Ajaz, 61, pleaded guilty to three charges of owning a dog which caused injury while dangerously out of control, after an incident in Bordesley Green, Birmingham, on 9 September last year.

The girl suffered shoulder and arm injuries in the attack, while two men were also injured after the dog broke free from its collar. Ajaz will be sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court later on Tuesday.

Nicholas Glass's body was discovered outside a property in Hereford Close in Rednal, Birmingham, after the dogs attacked him. West Midlands Police believe there were up to four dogs present around the time of the attack, with two of the animals seized at the scene and the other two found days later.

Tests found that two of the dogs were the banned XL bully breed and neither animal had a certificate of exemption. The inquest was adjourned until 13 January 2025.

With XL bullies once again making headlines, Yahoo News UK explains the new rules brought in at the start of the year over their ownership.

New rules for XL bully dogs

In England and Wales, and in Scotland, it is now a criminal offence to own or possess an XL bully without a valid certificate of exemption (in Northern Ireland, it will be illegal to own an XL bully without an exemption certificate from 31 December).

It is also a criminal offence to sell, give away or abandon an XL bully; let it stray; breed or breed from an XL bully and have one in public without a lead and a muzzle.

Applications for a Certificate of Exemption to keep an XL bully have now closed, and may now only be authorised by a court order.

Those owners with a certificate must have third party liability insurance for their XL bully, keep it muzzled and on a lead in public and keep the dog securely so it cannot escape.

Campaigners obtain judicial review

A campaign group of XL bully owners has raised more than £195,000 to fund a judicial review to overturn the ban.

The Don't Ban Me - Licence Me organisation was granted a judicial review in April, and were given a hearing at the High Court in July, with the judicial review adjourned until the autumn.

The group’s head Sophie Coulthard previously told the Guardian: “We would like the government to consider licensing, because that is something that’s been presented to them, even through their own commissioned research, and has been ignored.

“There’s lots of really good models that are successful, where countries have just done away with breed specific legislation because what they found is they just kept banning more dog breeds and it clearly wasn’t working.

“It can involve mandatory training, making sure breeders are licensed properly, and stops people impulse buying dogs which you obviously see a lot.”

What is an American XL bully dog?

The American bully is a relatively new dog breed from the US, with its first official breed registry, the American Bully Kennel Club (ABKC), founded in 2004.

As it is not registered as a recognised breed by the UK Kennel Club, it is unclear how many of the dogs or breeders are currently in the country.

The UK government has estimated there are about 10,000 American XL bullies in the UK while the Blue Cross animal charity has suggested it is more like 15,000.

The breed comes in a variety of sizes, including pocket, standard and XL, the latter of which has become a cause of concern.

The animals are responsible for killing at least 15 people since 2020.