ONE of two large dogs being looked after by a friend of the owner attacked a child who had called at the house.

The German Shepherds were being taken to the garden of the house for exercise shortly after the child knocked, but before the six-year-old had left the property.

Durham Crown Court heard that the four-year-old dogs broke free from temporary keeper Keith Collins and one leapt up and grabbed the six-year-old boy by the back of the head, in its mouth.

He was also bitten on the arm before Collins was able to usher both it and the other German Shepherd away, taking them back to the house.

Collins then took the boy to his grandmother’s home.

Paul Rooney, prosecuting, said he was taken to hospital for treatment for a scalp wound to the back of the head and puncture-type injuries to the forearm.

The boy’s mother outlined to the court the distress it caused her son, months after recovering from his injuries, as he still wakes having suffered nightmares and is now very wary around dogs.

She said he missed several months from school and remains fearful of doing physical activities.

Mr Rooney told the court that following the incident, on September 24, the defendant went to Chester-le-Street Police Station and told officers he was looking after the dogs on behalf of a friend who was on holiday.

He explained that he was taking them from the house to the nearby garden unleashed, but holding them by the collar, when they managed to break free.

Mr Rooney said Collins accepted they should have been under his control at the time. Both were seized by police and subsequently destroyed.

Collins, 59, of Arcadia, Chester-le-Street, admitted being in charge of a dog which caused injury while being dangerously out of control.

Julian White, mitigating expressed the defendant’s “profound apologies” to the boy and his family.

Mr White said it was accepted, given the size of the dogs and the defendant’s ill-health, he should not have agreed to look after them.

Judge Christopher Prince agreed and said he was, “a completely unsuitable person” to be looking after such large dogs.

He passed a six-month prison sentence, suspended for a year, with 15 probation-supervised rehabilitation activity days.