A horrified couple saw an out-of-control terrier maul their pet dog to death seconds after they took it into a Cumbrian pub.

The man in charge of the cross-breed bull terrier at the Greyhound Hotel in Shap, 43-year-old Nathan Brompton, was fined £180 after he admitted it was dangerously out of control.

But District Judge Gerald Chalk ordered the Crown Prosecution Service to trace the dog – called Jerry - after the defendant said he later gave it to a local rescue centre.

Earlier, Carlisle's magistrates' court heard a harrowing outline of the attack from prosecutor Pam Ward.

She described how it happened seconds after Sarah Wilson and Peter Mills walked into the Greyhound Hotel, in Main Street, just after mid day on Saturday, January 30.

“Mr Mills was walking with his shih tzu, called Honey, when a black and white cross-breed type dog charged into the porchway,” said Mrs Ward.

“It went straight for Honey, attacking her and mauling her.

The other dog was clamped on to the shih tzu, causing her to bleed. Miss Wilson was frightened for her safety.

“The defendant ran into the porchway, jumped on to Jerry, and punched him to loosen his jaw.”

Despite his owners immediately taking their dog to a vet, Honey died a short time later. Mrs Ward said that Brompton, a night porter, lived and worked in the hotel at the time.

He told police that he was not Jerry's owner but had been looking after him for a woman friend.

He had decided to take the dog out for a walk and had mistakenly thought it was an hour earlier than it was. Because of this, he said, he presumed the pub was empty.

He usually kept the terrier on a lead when in public places.

“On this occasion, he didn't because he thought the pub was shut,” added Mrs Ward.

Paul Tweddle, for Brompton, who gave his current address as the Shap Wells Hotel, Shap, said the defendant made an honest mistake, thinking the pub was closed because he got the time wrong.

“He took his responsibility for the dog seriously,” said Mr Tweddle.

“Whenever he walked with it outside, he had it on a lead. The first time he realised his mistake was when he saw the couple coming into the pub with their dog.

“Until that point, there'd been no problem.

“He was extremely surprised and his response was to get hold of Jerry and try to remove it from the shih tzu. Afterwards, he immediately took [his friend's] dog to Eden Animal Rescue.

“He had the impression they wanted to destroy the dog. But he doesn't know what became of it, or whether it was rehomed.”

After imposing the fine, with costs of £85, and a £20 victim surcharge, District Judge Chalk confirmed that he would consider imposing a contingent destruction order on Jerry. He added: “I want the Crown Prosecution Service to trace this dog and its owner.”