A NORTHWICH delivery driver has been ordered to pay £2500 in compensation after his dog escaped from his home and mauled a teenager.

Alexander Furmedge, 50, of Hatton Lane, was due to face trial at Chester Crown Court on Monday (January 4) with his wife and sister before changing his plea to one of guilty on the day.

He had been charged with being the owner of a dangerous dog, his Siberian Husky called Barry, after it got loose from his home and attacked a 16-year-old on April 8 2019.

The teen suffered an open fracture to his wrist, as well as more than a dozen puncture wounds to his hands and face after the dog had pinned him to the ground and clamped its jaws around him.

Anna Price, prosecuting, told the court how the then 16-year-old had been riding on his moped down Marsh Lane when he noticed Barry running loose in the road.

She said: "He had a similar dog at home and he stopped because believed it might have been his.

"Barry appeared friendly at first and he started talking to him.

"Two witnesses recognised the dog and told him who it belonged to so he began walking with it that direction."

It was soon after this that Furmedge's son, Alex Jnr, appeared, carrying a harness and lead and when he called out to Barry, the dog suddenly reacted, biting the victim to the arm, causing him to fall to the floor.

"One witness said how he saw the dog was ragging him around on the floor," Ms Price went on.

"The dog released his arm and then went for his face, shaking him as he had its jaws clamped around his face."

After curling himself up into a ball to try and protect himself, he managed to get himself home, before being taken to Victoria Infirmary and then on to Whiston Hospital for treatment.

His injuries included an open fracture, lacerations to his face, puncture wounds to his cheeks and lips as well as a further 12 puncture wounds to his hands.

Despite making a good recovery, he still has scarring and suffers from occasional pain in his arm.

In a police interview at the time, Furmedge admitted to being the owner of the dog, a family pet, although he went on to say how he had been out at work when the shocking incident occurred.

Defending barrister Matthew Dunford said the dog was now muzzled and always kept on a lead when it left the house.

He said: "When interviewed by police, to this credit, Mr Furmedge said he took primary responsibility for what had happened and made a full apology."

Two independent experts, one for the defence and one for the prosecution, had both carried out assessments of Barry, and both agreed that he was not a dangerous dog by nature.

He said: "The advice of the experts is that this instance was out of character for the dog.

"The advice is that he does not have to be destroyed but must be muzzled and kept on a lead at all times."

The Judge, Mr Recorder Simon Parrington, said the compensation order would be the most important part of the sentence.

He said: "Although the victim has made a good recovery, he has not made a full recovery.

"You clearly left the dog in the care of two people who weren't capable of looking after him.

"Incidents like this one are all too common these days, with both adults and children being mauled by large dogs.

"If it had been a young child, things could have been much worse.

"If anything like this was to happened again, it is almost inevitable he will be destroyed."

The Judge told Furmedge he must pay £2500 in compensation to his victim and will also have to complete 250 hours of unpaid work during a 12 month community order.

He must also pay £1000 in prosecution costs and a surcharge of £85.