A dog owner faces an anxious wait to see if his Staffordshire bull terrier cross will be put down after it attacked another man.

Anthony Flaxman will learn next month if a court has decided Demba will be destroyed following the alarming incident near Whitstable.

Magistrates were told how 61-year-old Flaxman had driven to Swalecliffe to take his dog for a walk when it jumped out and ran off as he opened the car door.

He gave chase but could not keep up and lost sight of Demba, who shortly after ran towards another man and his dog and tried to attack it aggressively.

The other man, Conor Frost, managed to pull his animal to safety and then tried to bring Demba under control.

But the Staffie continued to act aggressively and scratched Mr Frost’s arm, before biting him between his thumb and forefinger.

Flaxman, of Long Rock, Swalecliffe, was later arrested and charged with having a dog dangerously out of control and causing injury.

He admitted the offence when he appeared before magistrates in Sevenoaks on July 10.

The court was told Demba was seized by police following the incident four months ago and has remained in kennels since.

Outlining events, prosecutor Sidumiso Moyo said: “The complainant is Conor Frost and he was with his partner on March 2 when they were walking her parents’ dog.

“They returned [home] and Mr Frost was alerted by his partner to a loose dog - a dark-coloured dog described as a Staffordshire bull terrier mix - and it was trying to get to their dog.

“It was lunging at it and biting at it. He removed his dog and tried to bring the other dog under control, but struggled.

“He grabbed it with both hands and then the dog scratched him on the arm and then bit him between the thumb and finger. The dog continued to growl and act aggressively.

“There was no owner present. The police then attended and seized the dog.”

It wasn’t deliberate. He started to chase the dog, but it ran off. It was beyond his control…

Geoff Playford, defending, told the court Demba had escaped from Flaxman on the day of the incident.

“He had taken the dog out for a walk and it had been in the car, but when he opened the car door, the dog escaped before he had a chance to get hold of it,” he explained.

“It wasn’t deliberate. He started to chase the dog, but it ran off. It was beyond his control.”

Mr Playford urged magistrates to adjourn the case so Flaxman could obtain a report from vets on how dangerous his dog is.

The bench agreed, with Flaxman set to hear his and the dog’s fate when he is sentenced at Margate Magistrates’ Court on August 30.

The court could decide upon a destruction order, or impose one with conditions that would see Demba put down only if they were breached.