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A 10-year-old boy was left scarred for life after being bitten by an American bulldog which escaped onto a playing field.

Ben McKee was one of around 30 children playing football at an organised event held at Pilch Lane playing fields in Dovecot when the attack took place, leaving him with horrific injuries .

A 40-year-old man was also injured when the same dog bit him on the thigh.

The grey and tan American bully bitch, named Rio, was one of three dogs that escaped from the back garden of a nearby house, where they had been left unsupervised while the owner was out for around five hours.

Today Ryan Leonard, 25, of Milton Avenue, Roby , appeared at Liverpool Crown Court for sentencing after pleading guilty to two offences of having a dog dangerously out of control and injuring people.

The court heard the three dogs had been left alone in the back yard on the afternoon of Saturday, June 22, because it was "too hot" to keep them indoors.

But they managed to escape through a gap in some fencing, running onto playing fields where a prize-giving event was under way for football-mad youngsters, along with their parents.

The Court heard 10-year-old Ben presented no threat to the dog and was retrieving a ball when he was bitten on his right forearm.



The wounds penetrated through to the muscle and he was rushed to Alder Hey childrens' hospital for surgery on his arm. The court heard he will bear the scars from the dog attack for the rest of his life, and he is also now frightened of dogs.

The 40-year-old victim, Colin Foulkes, was one of three men who went out to try to catch the dogs themselves, but he was also bitten on the right thigh by Rio, suffering less serious but still significant injuries.

Ian Criddle, prosecuting, said Leonard "had made efforts to upgrade the fence" at the council property he shared with his partner, but these had not been sufficient to prevent the dogs from escaping.

Defending, Anthony Rose said Leonard was "really devastated and extremely remorseful" about what had taken place.

(Image: Google Street View)

He added: "It was a one-off incident. He made one mistake by not being 100% sure that garden was totally dog-proof and so prevent an escape."

The court heard that Leonard was already on conditional discharge for assaulting a police officer when the offence occurred.

He was told by the Recorder of Liverpool, Mark Ainsworth: "Ben's parents are understandably upset and distressed by what happened and the impact it has had on their son."

He jailed Leonard for a total of 10 months for the two offences, as well as disqualifying him from keeping dogs for a period of five years.

Mr Ainsworth placed a "contingent destruction order" on Rio, who has been kept at police kennels since the attacks occurred.

This meant any new owner would have to keep the dog under proper control, which included putting on a muzzle, keeping it on a lead in public, and not allowing it to be walked in public by anyone under the age of 16.