The owner of a Staffordshire bull terrier will get a special court hearing to prove his pet is no danger to anyone and is kept securely at home.

Phillip Rennie, of Ashdown Way, Grove, will have to fully convince Wantage magistrates - or the dog faces being destroyed.

Rennie, 24, appeared in court for the second time in a year accused of having a dog dangerously out of control in a public place. He pleaded guilty.

The case arose from a late-night incident on July 20 when his next-door-neighbour was bitten while out walking with her mother and their family dog near their home.

Laurie Kellaher, prosecuting, told the court the bull terrier appeared "without warning" and bit the younger woman on the back of her leg, causing four wounds which later became infected and required treatment for three weeks.

At the time of the attack, Rennie was waiting to appear in court following an earlier incident in February in which his bull terrier had attacked the neighbours' dog. Mr Kellaher said Rennie had been fined £230 with £70 costs in September over that incident.

He told the magistrates they were bound to order the destruction of the dog for the latest offence -unless they were satisfied it was no longer a danger to the public.

Peter De Feu, defending, said the trouble had arisen as his client's dog "had a problem" with the neighbour's animal.

After the dog escaped through a hole in the fence the first time, Rennie had placed breeze blocks in the way, but the dog had simply used them as a stairway to get over the fence.

The fence had now been raised higher, the dog was only taken out in the car for exercise elsewhere, and was kept on a lead and muzzled at all times, said Mr De Feu.

He stressed that the family next door had indicated they did not want Rennie's dog destroyed, merely controlled.

Magistrates adjourned the case for a special hearing early next month.

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