A 'FAMILY pet' handed a death sentence by magistrates did not get a fair trial according to his shocked owner.

Redditch magistrates ordered the destruction of Trigger, a nine-year-old Pit Bull type, after he attacked another dog and left a Wythall man with minor cuts to his hand.

Trigger's owner, Charlotte Carter, hit out after she was convicted of being the person in charge of a dangerously out of control dog which caused injury to another person.

Speaking after the trial, Ms Carter, aged 22 of Wilfred Mews, Wythall, said: "No justice has been done here, they didn't give him a chance.

"It was an unfair trial for him, the dog specialist was not here to give Trigger's side of the story."

The court heard Ms Carter was walking Trigger when he attacked a Bichon Frise called Snowy belonging to Stephen Jinks.

Trigger locked on to Snowy's throat, leaving him needing 40 stitches and fighting for his life.

Mr Jinks told the court: "I thought Snowy had gone, his eyes glazed over. I picked him up, wrapped him in a towel and took him straight to the vet, they didn't think he would make it through the night."

Mr Jinks said he suffered superficial cuts to his hand as he tried to prize Trigger's mouth open during the attack.

Eventually it took three bystanders to free Snowy and the court heard Trigger continued to circle the group after the incident.

Ms Carter, a mum-of-one, denied the charge but did not dispute the attack took place.

She argued Mr Jinks suffered no injuries and she made attempts to control Trigger by punching, kicking and giving commands before help arrived.

She said: "I didn't see his hands enter my dog's mouth, I don't recall seeing any injuries to Mr Jinks.

"Trigger is not aggressive, he is a family dog."

However magistrates found Ms Carter guilty and ordered her to carry out 60 hours unpaid work in the community and pay a total of £1,410 which included £700 compensation to Mr Jinks.

They made the destruction order for Trigger, who has been in kennels since the attack in October 2018, after being told by prosecutor Mouzam Razaq: "There is a clear danger to public safety, had the victim been a small child the injuries would have been different."

Ms Carter says she is hoping to appeal against the destruction order.