A horrified woman saw her pet springer spaniel torn apart after it was set upon by an out-of-control pack of six dogs.

Carlisle Magistrates' Court heard that the dogs responsible, kept by farm worker Barry John Williams, 45, as pets and for pest-control on farmland, made a desperate but unsuccessful attempt to stop the attack.

Despite veterinary treatment, the springer spaniel died.

But after hearing that the dog which started the attack had been humanely destroyed by its owner, Deputy District Judge Roger Lowe said there was no need for the remaining dogs to be destroyed or muzzled.

John Moran, prosecuting, outlined how Amanda Wilde was out walking her pet springer spaniel Murphy on November 14 last year near Westward, Bolton Low Houses, when the defendant appeared on his quad bike.

She immediately called Murphy to her side.

Running along after the defendant were his six dogs – two patterdale terriers, two Jack Russells, a lurcher and a whippet.

After spotting Murphy, one of the terriers ran straight at the springer spaniel, ignoring shouts from Williams to leave it alone.

“The first dog grabbed Mrs Wilde's dog by the throat, and then all of the defendant's dogs joined the attack, biting and ripping that dog apart,” Mr Moran told the court.

“The defendant was shouting at his dogs, trying to stop them. But he was unable to do so.”

At one point, Williams used Mrs Wilde's dog lead to hit his dogs, and threw himself at the dogs, but still they kept attacking.

Describing the impact of Murphy's death, Mr Moran said that even now, five months after her dog died, Mrs Wilde suffered flashbacks. She previously enjoyed walking near to her home but no longer did so.

“When I do venture out,” she said, “I often end up in tears.

“We’ve had a dog in the family for 15 years but now I'm worried about getting another one.”

She said it would help her if she knew that the dogs responsible were muzzled when in public.

Mr Moran confirmed that the dog which began the attack, called Jack, had been humanely disposed of. Williams gave another of his dogs, a Jack Russell, to his friend Alan Burridge, from Great Clifton.

Williams, a married father of two young children, from Westward, Wigton, has also paid Mrs Wilde's vets bill of £1,174. The prosecutor said the attack would never have happened had the dogs been on leads.

John Cooper, for Williams, who admitted six counts of being the owner of a dog which was dangerously out of control in a public place, said the defendant had used dogs professionally for the last 35 years.

“One of his dogs started the incident and Mr Williams has no idea why that happened,” said the lawyer, stressing the considerable efforts of the defendant to stop that attack.

He had worked with the dog pack involved for four years.

“He's normally the only person in that area,” said Mr Cooper.

“It's a very rural location. He keeps them effectively as working dogs, running them in the fields, and what they do is considered a valuable service.”

Williams used the dogs to catch rats, but they were also family pets, said Mr Cooper.

The judge described what happened as “horrific,” but he accepted that the defendant was a responsible dog owner.

“But on this occasion you didn't exercise proper control over your dogs," he said.

He said the consequences for Murphy had been horrendous but he recognised that the defendant felt remorse.

Judge Lowe drew back from imposing any restrictions on the three dogs still owned by Williams, noting that muzzling them would destroy his purpose for having them.

“I'm leaving it to your good judgement to ensure you will have the dogs under proper control,” he said.

The judge gave Williams an eight week 8pm to 6am curfew, along with £85 costs and an £85 victim surcharge.