A dog has narrowly avoided being destroyed after biting a five-year-old child on the bottom.

William Crawford, 38, of Cumberland Road, Whitehaven, pleaded guilty on September 10 to owning a dog that was dangerously out of control.

He was sentenced at Workington Magistrates' Court yesterday.

The court heard that on May 18 last year, a five-year-old boy had been riding his bike along Cumberland Road with his mum who was walking their dog.

At about 5.45pm the boy cycled past Crawford's property. The whippet border collie cross had jumped out of the hedge, biting him on his bottom and pulling him to the ground.

The dog had then attacked the other dog and then went back into the house, the court was told.

A statement read out on behalf of the boy's mother said he was screaming and she noticed he was bleeding.

She said there were no adults present and the dog was "vicious". The child was "hysterical", his mother had said.

A witness statement read out to the court from Crawford's nextdoor neighbour said they had heard a dog growling and then a child screaming.

They had then seen the boy, who was crying, and his mother, walking up the road, the court was told.

The neighbour had told police that the dog was "very aggressive" and had "gone for" other people and their dog, in the past.

They said that they had made Crawford aware of this, but he had "brushed it off".

Pamela Fee, prosecuting, said: "It's quite unpleasant for a young boy to have to go through."

She said Crawford had not been at home when the incident took place.

Crawford, who did not have legal representation, said that he had been looking into dog training.

He told the court: "I was only made aware of one incident of the dog being aggressive but she never bit anyone. She was barking."

Crawford said he was going to erect a fence but then had lost his father to Covid and had then caught the virus himself and had been "really ill".

He said the fence had now been put up and he had stopped his children from walking the dog.

Crawford was given a 12-month community order and must complete 100 hours of unpaid work.

Magistrates decided not to order destruction of the dog. Instead a conditional destruction order was imposed.

The dog must be muzzled when outside or in public and must be kept on a lead at all times in public.

Crawford must also make sure that the dog is secure in the garden.

He must pay £100 compensation to the victim.