Manslaughter charge after man dies following German Shepherd bite in Wakefield

Manslaughter charge after man dies following German Shepherd bite in Wakefield Lee Ellis, 55, has been charged with manslaughter and being the owner/person in charge of a dog dangerously out of control after another 55-year-old man died in Wakefield A 55-year-old man has been charged with manslaughter over the death of a man who was bitten by a dog on a footpath. 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 at around 1.30pm on Saturday. The force said a 55-year-old man was bitten by a dog during the altercation and later died in hospital. Lee Ellis, 55, of Blacker Lane, Calder Grove, Wakefield, has been charged with manslaughter and being in charge of a dog dangerously out of control causing injury resulting in death. He has been remanded in custody and is due to appear at Leeds Magistrates' Court today (Tuesday). A German Shepherd dog seized as part of this investigation continues to be held in police kennels, the force said. The footpath is the former West Curve rail line, rarely used by walkers. A couple, who had planned to walk the path on the day of the incident, said: "We like coming here because it is so quiet and secluded. We see the odd dog walker, occasionally, but often we see nobody at all. "There are hardly any houses around here and the path itself, especially at this time of year, is very leafy and secluded. I can imagine there will be very few people who saw what happened." Local Danny Green, 23, said: "I was driving past and saw all the emergency vehicles. It's terrible to learn that someone has died [after] a dog attack."