Incident Overview
A man died following dog bites, an inquest has revealed.
William John Jones was pronounced dead at the residence he shared with his niece and carer, Gwenfair Benjamin, in January 2022.
The 68-year-old, who had Down's syndrome, had been living with Benjamin in Pleasant Hill, Lampeter, for two years, along with her three pedigree British Bulldogs.
The court in Aberystwyth was informed on Wednesday that it was probable Jones had allowed the two younger dogs, which had been locked outside, into the house, possibly when he went to retrieve ice cream.
Dyfed-Powys Police responded to the property shortly after 17:00 GMT on 10 January 2022.
Detective Constable Richard Taberner, who attended the court, stated that the dogs were not classified under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991.
Background and Circumstances
The inquest heard that Benjamin, aged 51, had left at 13:00 to visit her partner, having secured two of the dogs outside due to their tendency to "chew things."
Although Jones was familiar with the dogs, Benjamin explained that he would "make a fuss of the dogs" and often caused them to become "overexcited."
"He'd tell them to stop in his own way but he couldn't command in the way I could command because of his speech defect,"
The inquest further revealed it was likely that Jones, who was aware he should not let the dogs inside, had nonetheless allowed them into the living room.
When questioned by Coroner Peter Brunton about the reason, Benjamin responded:
"The only thing" she could think of was that her uncle liked to get ice cream, which was stored in the freezer at the back of the house.
Upon returning four hours later, Benjamin found Jones lying on the living room floor.
"We've been together since I was born. We've been like brother and sister all the way through. I would never have wanted this to happen in a million years."
Medical Findings and Coroner's Conclusion
A pathologist's report indicated that Jones had sustained 38 injuries inflicted by the dogs.
Senior coroner Peter Brunton concluded that the cause of death was haemorrhage associated with leg injuries inflicted by dogs in a man with coronary artery atherosclerosis.
He stated:
"It was clear" the deceased knew he was not supposed to let the dogs in when Benjamin was out.
"Nevertheless, on this occasion, that's what he did. There is no explanation why dogs behaved as they did,"
Brunton added that Jones was familiar with the dogs, as they were with him, and that the dogs had never previously misbehaved.
The coroner officially recorded the cause of death as an accident.
