Woman fined £500 for dog attack .

A woman has been ordered to pay £500 compensation by Llandudno Magistrates Court after a ten-year-old boy was attacked by her dog in Old Colwyn, Conwy.

Jane Warburton pleaded guilty to having a dog out of control in a public place.

The court heard how the young boy has been left both physically and mentally scarred after he endured the attack from Mr Warburton’s Staffordshire bull terrier, called Mr Jangles.

The boy who cannot be named for legal reasons was attacked by the dog after it had escaped from Mrs Warburton’s home in August 2008. Prosecutor Helena Jackson said that the terrier had “gone for the boy”, biting him through his jacket, causing deep wounds to his arm. The boy was rushed to hospital where he had to endure one-and-a-half hours of surgery to repair the damage to his arm.

The court heard that Mrs Warburton had contacted the dog warden herself on the night of the attack and had asked for the dog to be put down. Her defence solicitor said that she was mortified by what had happened to the young boy and that she had personally endured eight months of stress and anxiety. The court heard she was deeply remorseful and had had no trouble in the past with either of her two dogs.

The court chairman David Rees said after seeing the injuries caused by the dog that he was absolutely horrified by what he saw. He said to Mrs Warburton in court: “The bench considers that keeping a Staffordshire bull terrier in a community such as yours is a very dangerous thing and we expect you to take extra special care with the remaining dog.”

No other fines or costs were imposed on Mrs Warburton as she is a lone parent with three young children and is of limited means. The dog was destroyed soon after the accident.