The owners of a dangerous dog that “scalped” a young child when it clamped its jaws on her head are facing up to five years in prison.

Aged 18 months, she was left disfigured after the banned pit bull breed, called Max, suddenly flew at her and attacked her in a park.

The toddler’s skull was left exposed and her scalp could not be reattached.

She was too young at the time to have skin grafts from other parts of her body and will need major surgery in future.

Michael Thornton, 27, and 29-year-old Hayley Eldridge were due to stand trial today, but both entered guilty pleas to an offence of being the owner of a dog which caused injury to a child while dangerously out of control in a public place.

They both wept as sentence was adjourned for reports and a judge warned they could face imprisonment. The maximum sentence is five years.

At the time of the attack, the dog was in the care of a 15-year-old girl who had been paid in cannabis by the couple to walk the dog.

She admitted the offence at youth court and was given supervision for 12 months with 150 hours unpaid work.

Magistrates were told the teenager, who cannot be identified, was walking the dog in Jenkins Dale, Chatham, on April 4 last year.

Prosecutor Sarah Worsley said Thornton, of Ryde Close, Eldridge, of Gorse Avenue, both in the town, had told the teenager they would pay her in either cash or cannabis to walk the dog.

She requested cannabis and took the animal to a nearby children's park.

"Dogs are not allowed in the park, but the girl did not see the sign and took it into the area,” said Miss Worsley.

"At that point it attacked the child and ripped her scalp off.”

The dog mauled the toddler's face before clamping its jaws around her head in front of other children, who tried to fight it off.

The pit bull was shot dead by police after it came loose.

"I don't know if we will ever be able to emotionally recover..." - victim Viktoria Resetjnova's father

Miss Worsley said of the child’s scalp: "It was unable to be reattached and she had to have a shield put around her head and now has a skin graft in place. She has to undergo ongoing surgery."

The child's father said in an impact statement: "It has changed our daughter's and our lives forever.

"We have years of hospital visits when we should be taking our daughter to children's parties.

"Both myself and her mother have had to take time off work with stress. I don't know if we will ever be able to emotionally recover."

Video: Eyewitness Alisha Robinson describes the shocking dog attack

The court heard the teenager, who had never been in trouble with the law before, blamed herself for what happened.

Luke Mayer, defending her, said: "This was a horrendous incident for all parties. She clearly blames herself.

"She thought it was an honour to walk the dog. She had only walked it twice before that night. She was smoking cannabis with them sometimes in their flat.

"They are the adults. It was difficult for her to control the power of the dog. She couldn't control it.”

As part of the supervision order the girl has to achieve 100% school attendance. She will also have to undergo therapy and positive activity sessions.

The court heard Thornton and Eldridge had only owned the dog for a week and believed it to be a lawful Staffordshire bull terrier cross-breed.

But police carried out tests after it was shot and found it to be a banned breed under the Dangerous Dog Act.

John Fitzgerald, for unemployed Thornton, said the teenager had repeatedly hit the dog on the nose with its chain before it attacked.

Before the guilty pleas were entered, Judge David Griffith-Jones QC said: “It is an offence to have such a dog in public without a muzzle.”

Nicholas Jones, for Eldridge, said the mother-of-three had endured considerable difficulties in her life.

She had suffered domestic abuse and had to move after the dog attack.

“She was struggling with depression at the time of this offence and since,” he said.

Eldridge, he said, had previous convictions for shoplifting and was subject to a community order for dangerous driving.

"It was difficult for her to control the power of the dog. She couldn't control it...” - Luke Mayer, defending the teenage dog walker

Mr Fitzgerald said Thornton’s convictions for dishonesty were related to his cannabis addiction.

He had on June 14 been released from a jail sentence and was under the supervision of the probation service.

The judge told Thornton: “I am glad common sense has finally prevailed.

"That will ensure you receive appropriate credit for the guilty plea you have entered.

“It won’t be a great deal of credit because obviously it is at the last moment.

"Nevertheless, you deserve, and will receive, some credit for taking the right course.”

Thornton and Eldridge were granted conditional bail. They will be subject to a tagged curfew from 8pm to 6am.