THE owner of Britain's oldest dog has spoken of his disgust after the man in charge of a terrier which mauled his beloved pet to death was penalised just £185.

Ray Bunn, whose Yorkshire terrier Jack hit the headlines in 2015 after reaching the age of 25 – 117 in dog years – called for the "savage" animal to be destroyed before it killed a child.

Jack was being carried by Mr Bunn's friend along Hartlepool Marina on August 1 when a Patterdale and Lakeland terrier crossbreed jumped up and sank its teeth into the tiny dog.

The Northern Echo: Craig Doughty, 44, from Hartlepool, who was ordered to pay £100 compensation at Hartlepool Magistrate's Court after the dog he was looking after mauled the country's oldest dog - 25 year old Yorkshire Terrier Jack - to death on his morning walk i

Craig Doughty, 44, from Hartlepool

Mr Bunn, who had returned to his car to get a lead, said: "It just came out of nowhere. I was punching it, hard, but it wouldn't release its grip. It just mauled him to death.

"Jack was screaming and making a terrible noise throughout the attack. Then he just turned his head towards me, closed his eyes and rolled over, almost giving a sigh as he did so.

"He was still breathing – just – so we took him to the vet. But it was too late."

The man who had been in charge of the crossbreed, 44-year-old Craig Doughty, pleaded guilty to having a dangerously out of control dog when he appeared before magistrates in Hartlepool this week.

He was ordered to pay £100 in compensation to Mr Bunn, and £85 towards court costs.

The court heard that Doughty heard the commotion on the marina, approached a shaken Mr Bunn and his friend, and apologised for what happened. He gave them his details and left the scene after putting the crossbreed back on the belt he was using as a lead.

In a victim impact statement read to the court from the time of the attack Mr Bunn said: "This incident has left both me and my wife distraught. I feel like I have lost a son. He was our baby."

John Relton, defending Doughty, said that he had found the stray dog a week before the incident on August 1, and hoped to reunite it with its owner.

He said: "He had no knowledge that this dog had this kind of behaviour in it and the rest is sadly history.

"He could have ignored that dog and walked past and then he would have no convictions but he accepts that he took charge of it and feels culpable for what happened."

Mr Relton added that Doughty, of South Road, Hartlepool, had struggled with alcohol related problems and had previously lost his employment and marriage but had started to pick himself back up.

Doughty told magistrates he had got rid of the dog, and it is not known whether or not the animal is still alive and, if so, where it is living.

A spokeswoman for Cleveland Police said last night that the dog was never traced.

Mr Bunn said after the case: "I'm an animal lover. I've had dogs for 60 years but that dog is a danger to other dogs and children and should be destroyed.

"Jack was a lovely dog, he wouldn't have hurt a fly. My dog was murdered."

He said his wife Mary, 66, had been suffering from panic attacks since the attack and added: "I keep waking up at two or three in the morning thinking about what happened that day, reliving the sounds and seeing the sights."

Jack had lived through seven years of fits but his condition was actually improving, until the attack. His longevity was credited to a diet of sirloin steak and lots of love.

Mr and Mrs Bunn took him on caravan holidays with them and he used to sleep above his owner's head.