A NINE-year-old boy was attacked by a Staffordshire bull terrier as he played with a pal in Longtown.

Carlisle's Rickergate Magistrates' Court heard how the terrifying attack had left the youngster with a fear of dogs.

The child was so badly bitten on the leg that he had to spend four days in hospital.

Paul Peter Dowell, 60, admitted being in charge of a dog that caused injury while dangerously out of control.

Amy Labram, prosecuting, described how the boy was playing with a friend on a grassy area in Longtown at around 4pm on May 7 when the defendant appeared with two dogs, including a Staffordshire bull terrier called Bailey which belonged to a friend of his.

It was at this point that the dog ran over to the boy and bit him on the leg.

"The defendant instantly grabbed the dogs and took them back inside," said Miss Labram.

The child was taken to The Cumberland Infirmary where doctors cleaned and stitched the wound - which was so serious that doctors considered plastic surgery.

The boy's leg was also put in a plaster-caster to keep the tendons in the right position.

He was discharged from hospital on May 31 but needed physio therapy sessions and time off school as he recovered.

"The child is now uncomfortable walking home from school and he is afraid of dogs," said Miss Labram.

"He is refusing to go out with friends at the minute, though he would normally do so."

When interviewed by the police, Dowell, of Chatsworth Square, Carlisle, fully admitted his guilt.

Mark Shepherd, for the defendant, said Dowell was devastated by what happened.

"It happened very, very quickly," said the lawyer.

"He tried to stop it happening before it happened; and when it did he was immediately on it, doing everything he could to stop it."

Mr Shepherd said Staffordshire bull terriers were known to have jaws that lock, but Dowell's intervention was such that he managed to released the dog's grip.

He explained how Dowell had previously owned the dog but after suffering a heart attack, realising the dog was boisterous, he had given it to his girlfriend and was therefore no longer its owner.

District Judge Gerald Chalk adjourned sentenced so that more information can be gathered about Bailey's temperament.

The court heard that the cost of kennelling the dog currently stood at £1,470.

That figure will continue to grow at a rate of £15 per day.

The court will ultimately have to decide whether Dowell pays all or some portion of that cost.