A dog who mauled a woman and left her needing plastic surgery has been banned from certain Norwich parks.

The animal, an American Bulldog, attacked the victim as she left her flat in the West Pottergate area of the city.

It grabbed hold of her forearm for up to 30 seconds before its owner, Charlie Buckenham, 28, was able to get it back under control.

Buckenham, of Cadge Road, Norwich, appeared at Norwich Crown Court on Wednesday (June 15) having admitted being in charge of a dog dangerously out of control causing injury.

She was given a 12 month community order, made up of 30 days rehabilitation activity requirement (RAR), while a 'contingent destruction order' was imposed on the dog, meaning that as long as there were no more incidents, it could remain alive.

Under the order, the animal must wear a muzzle outside, be kept on a fixed 1.5m lead and be neutered within four months.

It has also been banned from Andersons Meadow and Sloughbottom Park, where the victim takes her own dogs, and can only go to Earlham Park between 10am and noon and 3pm and 5pm.

The court heard details of the attack, which happened at about 11am on April 22 last year.

Lori Tucker, prosecuting, said the victim was screaming "get it off me, get it off me'".

She suffered a "very unpleasant injury" requiring plastic surgery and has since suffered flashbacks, nightmares and has had to be cared for by her partner.

Judge Andrew Shaw said all dog owners needed to understand that owning a dog was a "privilege not a right" and insisted it was "not an unfettered right".

He said if there was to be "any repetition at all" the court would have no choice but to order the destruction of the dog.

He accepted it had been a "momentary lapse in attention" on the defendant's part and recognised she herself tried to intervene to stop the attack.

Buckenham was also fined £100 for breaching a suspended sentence order, in relation to another matter.

Gavin Cowe, mitigating, said she had entered a guilty plea and had demonstrated regret and remorse at the events which had happened "spontaneously".