Owner’s dog fatally bit man on path after ‘right of way’ argument, court told

A man has appeared in court accused of manslaughter after his dog fatally bit a man on a footpath in an argument about a right of way.West Yorkshire Police officers were called to reports of an altercation on the old train line footpath off Blacker Lane in the Calder Grove area of Wakefield on Saturday afternoon.James Judge, 55, was bitten by a dog and later died in hospital.Lee Ellis, 55, of Calder Grove, Wakefield, has been charged with manslaughter and being in charge of a dog dangerously out of control causing injury resulting in death.The farrier appeared at Bradford Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday.The area near the old train line footpath off Blacker Lane (Dave Higgens/PA)PA WireRob Fones, representing Ellis, said there was “a verbal altercation in regards to right of way”.Georgina Fishwick, prosecuting, said told the court an initial post-mortem had been unable to determine the exact number of dog bites to Mr Judge, but a bite to the back of his right knee had significantly contributed to his death.Read MoreEllis was not asked to enter a plea to the charges, but Mr Fones said he “will be taking the matter to trial”.The court heard he was a self-employed farrier who had lived in the area for 30 years.District Judge Mark Daley bailed Ellis until his next appearance at Leeds Crown Court on September 16, on the condition he sleeps every night at his home address.Ellis, who appeared in the dock wearing a grey sweatshirt and tracksuit bottoms, wiped his eyes and nose with a tissue during the hearing.A German Shepherd dog seized as part of this investigation is being held in police kennels.