A DOG owner was asleep on the sofa as his dangerous pet killed a terrier and injured a passer-by before being shot dead by police, a court heard.

Ian Partington's "vicious and strong" animal savaged a Yorkshire terrier to death and bit a bassett hound before bystanders wrestled with it.

Finally a police marksman shot the dog three times for the public's safety.

The incident unfolded in the streets around The Canary Tavern pub in High Street, Little Lever, in November last year.

Factory worker Partington, aged 54, appeared at Bolton Magistrates' Court yesterday for the first time over the incident and admitted a single charge of being the owner in charge of a dog dangerously out of control on November 19 last year, causing injury to Thomas Riley.

James Towey, for Partington, said: "This is a serious offence. It is aggravated as well because a human was injured."

The magistrates were told the dog – whose name and breed was not given in court – escaped Partington's James Street, Little Lever, home and went on a rampage.

Mr Towey said the animal "destroyed a Yorkshire terrier" before "the dog was destroyed by armed officers from GMP".

He said: "The defendant had no knowledge. He was asleep on the couch."

The magistrates adjourned the case for sentencing until February 22 and ordered pre-sentence reports. Partington was granted unconditional bail until then.

The prosecutor did not outline the details of the incident but witnesses told The Bolton News at the time that Partington's dog mauled the Yorkshire terrier to death as it was being taken for a walk.

Mr Riley was driving through Little Lever when he saw a man trying to save the Yorkshire terrier from the jaws of Partington's pet.

He said: “The dog had clinched onto the terrier’s rear end and I punched and kicked it and it let go.

“The dog went for me. It was defending itself.

“It ran up James Street. We couldn’t find it and all of a sudden we heard the howl of the other dog being attacked.”

He and two other bystanders were trying to contain the dog as it writhed in front of a horrified crowd.

Mr Riley, a former member of the Armed Forces, said: “I used its collar to rip it to the ground.

“It was vicious. It was such a strong dog.

“At one point there were three of us pinning it to the ground.

“I grabbed it round its whole head and it was just snarling. I had all my weight on top of its head.

“But it was fighting the whole time. I think it was scared because of all the people screaming at it.”

Police officers fired a Taser electric shock device to try to incapacitate the animal, but it failed and a police marksman shot the dog three times to bring the drama to an end.

Mr Riley said: “It was a horrible situation. Everybody was hysterical.

“The dog was not for stopping. It was nasty.”

He suffered scratches and grazes from wrestling the dog on the concrete ground and may have damaged tendons or ligaments in his hand after being caught by one of the dog’s teeth.