A WOMAN has appeared in court over an incident in which a dog bit a postman so badly he needed emergency surgery.

York magistrates heard it was the second time the Staffordshire bull terrier had bitten a postal worker.

Defence solicitor Kevin Blount said Lisa Hamilton, 29, didn’t know about the previous incident and was only looking after the dog for a few days as a favour to its owner.

The court heard the postman, who was bitten on the arm, had needed emergency surgery.

Hamilton, of St Stephen’s Square, Acomb, pleaded guilty to having a dog dangerously out of control that injured a person.

She was ordered to do 60 hours’ unpaid work and must pay £85 prosecution costs and a £114 statutory surcharge.

The prosecution did not ask for compensation for the postman and the court declined a prosecution request that Hamilton pay the kennel charges for the dog incurred after police seized it.

Magistrates said they were the responsibility of the owner.

They also declined to hear an application to have the dog put down after the prosecution was unable to prove to them that the owner knew about the court date.

A Royal Mail spokesman said: “Royal Mail treats all dog attacks on our postmen and women very seriously, and our first priority as an employer is to ensure the welfare and safety of our people who provide a valuable service to our customers.

“It is very distressing when one of our people is attacked by a dog while carrying out their job. We continue to appeal to dog owners and their families to take steps in order to reduce the numbers of attacks, particularly through letterboxes, at the door and in the garden.”

Mr Blount said the sister of the dog’s owner had been remanded in custody and couldn’t look after her own dog. So the Staffordshire bull terrier’s owner had asked Hamilton to look after it while she looked after her sister’s dog and tried to find a home for it.

The solicitor said Hamilton had taken the dog on a lead into the communal garden at her home address on October 11.

“The dog came into the property, the dog has seen him (the postman) and gone for him. Lisa Hamilton was spun around by the dog and eventually the dog pulled out of her control,” he said. “She had no knowledge there was any difficulty with it.”

She had originally only expected to have the dog for a couple of days, but it had been with her longer than she had expected.

Hamilton had never been in trouble with the law before, said Mr Blount.