Death sentence for attack terrier

A dog which savaged an 85-year-old man in the street is to be destroyed.

The Staffordshire bull terrier attacked Walter Williams as he walked to his son's home for Sunday lunch in Bodmin, Cornwall, in September

The judge at Truro Crown Court said Mr Williams' chances of fully recovering from his severe hand and arm injuries were slim.

Owner Gavin Reed, 30, of Badiniel Cottage, Bodmin, admitted four-year-old Bruiser was dangerously out of control.

We might have had a fatality on our hands Judge Christopher Elwen

Reed was sentenced to 80 hours of unpaid community work and ordered to pay Mr Williams £500 compensation.

Judge Christopher Elwen said: "Such incidents are a matter of very grave public concern - it might have been a child.

"Fortunately it was not, otherwise we might have had a fatality on our hands."

Defence counsel Christopher Andrews said a lodger in Reed's house had left a door open, allowing the dog into the street.