A woman has been sentenced after her dog attacked a postman and moved him around like a "rag doll".

Gemma Woods, 40, appeared at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court on Thursday after she pleaded guilty to one count of being in charge of a dog dangerously out of control.

On April 22 last year, a postman was on his round when he arrived at Woods’ address on Ribble Drive in Bury was attacked by a “medium sized dog” which bit him on the leg and caused him to fall backwards onto the ground.

The dog had escaped from the property due to a broken gate while Woods had been in the bathroom.

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According to witnesses, the victim was “moved by the dog like a rag doll” as he attempted to defend himself.

The dog, which was described by Woods as a “mixed staffy cross”, was removed by another man who was also at the property before the victim called 999 to request emergency services.

Betsy Hindle, prosecuting, told the court that as well as hospital treatment for his injuries, the victim had been forced to take time off work and to pay for taxi fares to and from hospital.

Reading from his impact statement, she added that the incident “had not altered” the postman’s view of dogs, but that he had expressed concern that a similar incident could happen to other postal workers.

Michael Lea, defending, said his client has expressed “extreme regret and remorse” over what had happened and has been “emotional” regarding the incident.

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He told the court the dog was now kept permanently inside the house and was muzzled at all times.

He added that repairs to the front gate had since been made by Six Town Housing, Woods' landlord, and that an additional gate had also been fitted to keep the dog in. 

Judge Michael Blakey told the court he did not believe a destruction order for the dog was necessary.

He said: “The defendant has done all she can to ensure that such an incident doesn’t happen again.”

Judge Blakey added that the steps Woods had taken to control her dog meant that the victims fears “had been dealt with".

Concluding, he said: “You were clearly upset about what had happened and apologised to [the victim].”

He imposed a 12-month community order and 12 days of rehabilitation activities, which he noted were principally to assist Woods, who is disabled, with social isolation.

He also imposed a £50 fine to be paid in increments of £10 every fortnight for 10 weeks as well as a victim surcharge.