A pocket bully dog bit and seriously injured a York woman after it was released from its cage, a court heard.

The dog had already attacked one person and went on to attack staff at a kennel after police confiscated it, said Antony Farrell, prosecuting at York Magistrates' Court.

It was confined within a cage when the woman visited her friend Jill Bellhouse in Dijon Avenue in Acomb.

But Bellhouse let it out and the dog bit the woman’s leg so hard the bone was exposed.

Bellhouse, 52, of Dijon Avenue, Acomb, pleaded guilty to being in charge of a dog that injured a person when it was dangerously out of control.

She will learn her sentence on October 31 at York Crown Court.

Mr Farrell said police officers described the dog as similar to an American XL bully - but smaller.

On December 6, Bellhouse was “under the influence of a drug. As a result, what then happened was she went to open the dog’s cage,” said Mr Farrell.

“She was told by (the victim) ‘you shouldn’t open it. You know it has already attacked someone before’.”

But Bellhouse opened the cage and the dog bit the woman.

Police were called and took the dog to kennels where it attacked a member of staff.

The next morning police returned to the kennels to find the dog had died. A post mortem was unable to find the cause of death.

Mr Farrell said the case was too serious for the magistrates to sentence and quoted sentencing guidelines which state that for a similar offence, defendants should receive a prison sentence of between six months and 30 months. Bellhouse did not object, and magistrates sent the case to York Crown Court.

Magistrates have a maximum sentence for a single offence of six months’ imprisonment.

They released Bellhouse on bail with conditions that she does not contact the woman who was bitten and only has a dog in public if it is on a short lead.