A WOMAN has been ordered to keep her Staffordshire Bull Terrier muzzled in public at all times after it seriously injured a man.

Debbie Pickett’s dog, named Blue, bit the hand of a man as he walked his Shih Tzu past her home in Rayleigh Road, Eastwood.

She has been warned that the dog will be destroyed if it is not kept in an enclosed premises or behind a secure fence.

The victim heard someone shout “the dog’s out” before Blue charged at him. He picked up his own dog but Blue bit his left hand and ripped the flesh from it.

Pickett, 47, admitted being the owner of a dog which caused injury while dangerously out of control in a public place.

Prosecuting, Tim Devlin said: “His hand began to bleed heavily and the dog was circling around him and she came out dragged the dog back by his collar, she asked him if he was ok. She made a phone call to his wife and she picked him up and took him to Southend Hospital.”

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Following the attack, on May 23, 2019, the man was forced to take a week off work and his hand was bandaged for two months.

In a victim impact statement, the victim described feeling “significant pain” and said it was still uncomfortable.

Mitigating, Kevin Toomey said that Pickett had made efforts to get the dog away, and has since made efforts to construct a fence around her garden.

Recorder William Hansen said: “I am satisfied that there was a lack of adequate safety or control measures in place and I am satisfied an incident like this could have been foreseen.

“This is a serious case. There has been no expression of remorse on the part of the defendant.”

Recorder Hansen gave Pickett a six-month suspended prison sentence and made a contingency order under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1981 that the dog will be destroyed if there are further issues. The order also states Blue to be excluded from public places unless wearing a muzzle and be put on a lead at six feet maximum.