A man has been banned from keeping dogs for five years after his 11 stone dog bit a woman's ear and destroyed her hearing aid after she tripped and fell in Norwich.
Harry Rainbow had been required to keep Thor - his Cane Corso dog - muzzled when out after it had previously bitten someone.
But although the 33-year-old dog owner did have a muzzle on him it had not been put on the dog when they were out in Rampant Horse Street in the city.
Norwich Crown Court heard Rainbow had been sat outside the former Debenhams store in the city with his dog when a woman, who had been visiting Norfolk on holiday, was walking past.
Adam Norris, prosecuting, said the woman "tripped over an E-Scooter and fell to her knees" before the dog - who had been "startled" - came over to her and "bit her left ear".
The bite, which went through her hearing aid, resulted in "blood flowing from her ear".
A passer-by used a T-shirt to help "staunch" the flow of blood from the victim's ear following the incident on July 27 last year following which police were called.
The victim was initially treated at the walk-in centre but later underwent plastic surgery to her ear at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital.
Mr Norris said the victim, who remains in pain as a result of her injuries, has "nightmares" about the incident and has suffered panic attacks and fears being attacked by dogs again while out on walks.
Rainbow, of Goodhale Road, Norwich, appeared at court on Tuesday (November 10) after he previously admitted being the owner of a dog which caused injury while being dangerously out of control.
Recorder Simon Taylor said it had been a "really nasty" and "frightening" incident for the victim.
He said Thor, an 11 stone dog and a type of breed used for "guarding and hunting" was "well looked after" by the defendant.
But Recorder Taylor said Rainbow "didn't have a responsible attitude to the characteristics of this dog in public" and had "failed to heed official warnings" about him being muzzled.
Rainbow, who was given a 12-month community order, was prohibited from keeping animals for five years.
Recorder Taylor also imposed a destruction order, meaning the dog is to be put down due to concerns of future attacks involving members of the public.
Martin Ivory, mitigating, said the defendant, who deserved credit for his plea, accepted "frankly the dog should've been muzzled at the time".
He said the dog had been "startled" by the noise after the victim fell and reacted in a way that was "somewhat out of character".
He said there had been no further incidents since.
Rainbow was also given a probation requirement and ordered to pay a £300 fine.
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