A DANGEROUS dog that savaged 12 children in a park was already due to be destroyed after previously attacking youngsters, a court heard.

Claire Neal is accused of owning the brown and white Staffordshire Bull Terrier that ran into the park in Blyth, Northumberland, and started to bite the children that were playing inside.

But the 38-year-old denies the charge of owning a dangerously out of control dog, and having been previously banned from keeping dogs claimed it belonged to the courts.

Newcastle Crown Court heard a teenage girl came across the animal, called Marley, on a street in May 2016 as she was out playing with her friends.

Prosecutor Stephen Grattage said she decided to take it home so her mother could ring the RSPCA and they began to play with it as she made her way back.

But as they approached the park on Burns Avenue to her horror it ran through the gate and grabbed a ball, bursting it with its teeth.

He said: "The dog she had come across was not nice, it was a dangerous dog. It had been let loose before and had attacked young children.

"The court had in fact ordered the destruction of it and Claire Neal had been banned from owning any dogs."

The girl, who gave evidence via video link, said after one child tried to take the ball back from the dog it jumped onto her and began to bite her.

She said it then continued to bite any child that took the ball.

Mr Grattage said a neighbour, called Neil Wilkinson, dashed out after hearing the screams in the play area.

He said: "(Mr Wilkinson) heard the usual sounds of children playing in the park turn to screams and he ran across and saw the dog attacking six or seven children.

"He started putting children with injuries over the fence, some had lots of blood on them."

Two of the children were in fact his own, and after his son ran over to him in fear the dog jumped up and bit his son on the arm.

Eventually more adults arrived and were able to get control of the dog with a lead.

The injured children were left strewn cross the grassy bank and waited for help to come.

Mr Grattage said the dog had escaped from Ms Neal's house by squeezing under the gate, which was shown on CCTV taken from a neighbour.

But after being arrested she claimed she had given it away, which Mr Grattage said was a lie.

She then told the police it was not her dog but in fact the courts' dog as she had been banned from having them.

Ms Neal also said she was out at the time and blamed a friend who was staying with her, Leanne Patterson, for allowing the dog to escape.

Ms Patterson, 35, is also on trial accused of being in charge of a dog that was dangerously out of control in a public place.

She denies the charge. The case continues.