Lee Ellis, 55, Charged With Manslaughter Over Wakefield Dog Bite Death

Q: What really happened between the two men on the railway line just before the fatal attack?

It is not yet known what exactly happened between the two men before the fatal attack. What police have confirmed is that there was an “altercation” or “exchange” between two 55-year-old men on the disused railway line footpath off Blacker Lane in Calder Grove at about 1.30pm on Saturday. During that disturbance, the victim suffered a dog bite. He was taken to hospital in critical condition and died later that evening. Investigators appear to be focusing on the moments before the attack because West Yorkshire Police have said they need to “understand exactly what happened” and have appealed for anyone who saw or heard the altercation to come forward. They are also trying to trace two passers-by who helped the injured man, including a woman named Sophie, suggesting those witnesses may have seen key parts of the incident or its immediate aftermath. A 55-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder and on suspicion of owning a dog dangerously out of control in a public place causing injury. The dog believed to have been involved has been seized. Those actions indicate police are examining both the behaviour of the dog and the circumstances in which it was allegedly allowed to attack. At this stage, there is no public evidence showing whether the dispute was verbal, physical, accidental or provoked. Until witness accounts, forensic findings and police interviews are completed, any fuller account of what happened between the men would be speculation.

3 articles · Updated · bbc.co.uk · Aug 18

Lee Ellis, 55, was charged with manslaughter and with being in charge of a dangerously out-of-control dog causing injury resulting in death after a man died in Wakefield.
The 55-year-old victim suffered critical injuries during an altercation on a disused railway line off Blacker Lane in Calder Grove at about 13:30 BST on Saturday and died in hospital around 19:00.
West Yorkshire Police said Ellis, of Blacker Lane, was remanded in custody and was due to appear at Leeds Magistrates' Court later.
A German Shepherd believed to have been involved was seized and remains in police kennels after the case initially prompted a murder inquiry and arrest over the weekend.