A Staffordshire bull terrier which ate part of its dead owner may not be put down, despite the wishes of the dead man's family and Merseyside Police.

Earlier this month District Judge Wendy Lloyd ruled that the animal, known both Buster and Butch, should be destroyed following the grisly discovery last September, when the dog was found to have been feeding on the corpse of its dead owner.

The police supported the owner’s family’s belief the dog posed a danger to the public, the Liverpool Echo reported. James Cullen, representing Merseyside Police, told the Liverpool Magistrates Court there was a "real risk that this dog, if rehoused, could harm a human being."