I haven't followed this case too closely, and I'm not up in the legalities, so you could well be right Richard.

What I had in mind was that this sounds like a case where gross negligence which has caused death could justify a verdict of manslaughter. As happened recently in the case of that driver whose car caused a fatal train crash, when he fell asleep and went off the road onto a train track. There was no suggestion that he'd been planning to kill anyone.

I'd imagine murder could only be found if the owner had set the dog on the victim, and so far as I have heard this isn't alleged.