A man has been jailed after his younger brother was mauled to death by his pet dog in a “horrific” attack at their home.

Dog owner Gary Stevens, whose Cane Corso fatally attacked Wayne Stevens, was jailed at Derby Crown Court for four and a half years after he admitted being in charge of a dangerously out-of-control dog that killed his younger brother.

The 54-year-old pleaded guilty to a charge under the Dangerous Dogs Act after his brother Wayne, 51, was attacked at a house in Cameron Road, Derby, during the early hours of 22 April 2023.

The dog was "destroyed at the scene" by Derbyshire police due to "presenting a risk to officers and the public".

Tony Stanford, on behalf of Stevens, previously told the court it was "an extremely upsetting incident for (Gary Stevens) to witness and be a part of". He added: “He tried to pull the dog off his brother, to save his brother...He bears considerable psychological guilt."

During investigation, Stevens told officers that he and Wayne had been drinking all day and were both very drunk. He did not know what had caused the dog, named Ace, to attack his brother and that he fought to try and pull the dog off him but that he was overpowered and could not stop the attack.

Dog owner Gary Stevens, whose Cane Corso fatally attacked Wayne Stevens, was jailed at Derby Crown Court for four and a half years after he admitted being in charge of a dangerously out-of-control dog that killed his younger brother. | Derbyshire police

During the interview, he also told officers that Ace, who had been given to him by a woman who said she could not handle him, had already bitten other people and dogs and would need to be restrained by Stevens in public if he took a dislike to any person or animal.

None of the bites had been reported to the police and while Stevens tried to explain them away as just “nips” that they had been to people’s faces and that he knew that the dog would normally go for the face and neck. Wayne had been attacked to the face and body and died due to the loss of blood as a result of the bites he sustained.

Stevens admitted one charge of being in charge of a dog that was dangerously out of control causing injury resulting in death at an earlier hearing at Derby Crown Court.

DC Stevie Barker, who led the investigation, said: “Owning an animal of any kind brings with it serious responsibilities – and any dog is capable of being aggressive. However, Gary Stevens showed himself to be singularly incapable of looking after a dog of this type.

“He failed to control the dog – despite knowing the dangers it posed from previous incidents – leading to the most horrific outcome. While there is no suggestion that the attack was in anyway directed by Stevens he had the ultimate responsibility to control his dog and protect others from it – and he failed in that duty.

“The incident has had a profound effect on the Stevens family given the circumstances and our condolences remain with them and I would ask that their privacy is respected at this time.”