A WOMAN has admitted being in charge of two dogs who savagely mauled a neighbour’s pet cat to death in a brutal garden attack.

Anne-Marie Morrison, 30, let pet American Staffordshire Terriers Georgie and Ryder out into a shared outdoor area of her property in Hamilton, Lanarkshire.

2 Anne-Marie Morrison admitted being in charge of the two dogs who mauled a cat to death Credit: Pressteam

But the pair grabbed hold of a cat owned by Carole Scott, 62, and repeatedly bit its neck and face.

Morrison heard growling and looked outside to see the dogs tearing at the cat and went out to try and stop them but was unable to.

A passing man jumped the 4ft foot fence of the garden in a desperate bid to get the dogs off the cat but also failed.

The two animals were also battered by a brush and a shovel and eventually released their grip and were put back into the house. But the cat's injuries were so severe that it died in the aftermath and police were called.

Morrison appeared at Hamilton Sheriff Court and admitted being in charge of the two dogs in April last year and permitting them to cause injury.

Her partner Dominic Douglas, 30, who owns the dogs, had his not guilty pleas accepted and both dogs are now back staying with the couple.

2 Prosecutors are seeking to have the dogs destroyed (archive pic) Credit: Getty - Contributor

Prosecutors are seeking to have them destroyed and a sheriff will rule on that at the sentencing hearing.

Depute fiscal Jennifer McCabe said: "It was around 4.30pm when the owner of the cat let her cat out into the back garden but unbeknown to her the accused had let her boyfriend's dogs out.

"The accused then heard growling and examined her home and in the rear garden she noticed the two dogs pulling at the cat. She could not get the dogs to stop and she became upset.

"A male in the street saw the incident and jumped into the garden in an attempt to stop the dogs mauling the cat but they continued biting the face and neck of the cat.

"Another female was within her home and heard screaming from the accused and looked out, observed the incident and went over in a bid to stop the attack but the dogs continued to pull at the cat.

"They all tried to shout at the dogs and used a brush and a shovel to get the dogs off and a witness was able to grab the cat.

"The accused's mother appeared and managed to get the dogs into the property.

"The cat's owner then approached and said the cat was hers and it was checked for a pulse which was negative and it had injuries to its face and neck."

Ceri Evans, defending, said: "She is thoroughly distraught at this event and is very distressed at the behaviour of the dogs on this day.

"The dogs were originally seized but were returned and are now back in the ownership of Mr Douglas."

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Sheriff Mhairi Mactaggart deferred sentence until next month for reports and continued Morrison's bail. She added: "I want to know what has been happening with these dogs since being back in the care of Mr Douglas.

"Are they muzzled, are they allowed to go out untethered, are they allowed to be untethered in the garden?

"This is a very, very serious matter and I will be dealing with it in a very serious way."

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