Mary HamiltonA man whose dogs escaped and bit a woman who was protecting her pet cat has been fined and ordered to keep his animals secure by a Norwich judge.Jason Green, 40, is the owner of two Staffordshire bull terriers who repeatedly escaped from his home in Newton Flotman and were aggressive towards other animals, Norwich Crown Court heard yesterday.Mary Hamilton

A man whose dogs escaped and bit a woman who was trying to protect her pet cat has been fined and ordered to keep his animals secure.

Jason Green, 40, is the owner of two Staffordshire bull terriers which repeatedly escaped from his home in Newton Flotman and were aggressive towards other animals, Norwich Crown Court heard yesterday.

On July 31 last year the dogs, Josey and Sebah, escaped from the stable block where they were kept and ran into the garden of a nearby house belonging to Claire Frost, the court heard.

Chris Morgan, prosecuting, said: "It appeared to Mrs Frost that they were trying to get at her dogs, and it then seems that her cat Hogan, who had been under a bush, distract-ed them by getting up.

"Josey got hold of the cat and brought it inside Mrs Frost's house - she describes the dog starting to crush the cat's head, and it was apparent that it had started bleeding."

When Mrs Frost stepped in to protect her 20-year-old cat the dog snapped and bit her fingers and would not let go, so she hit it on the head with an iron, Mr Morgan said.

Hogan died in his owner's arms, and Mrs Frost was treated at hospital for dog bites to her left leg and hand, he added.

In a separate incident on August 11, the dogs again escaped their stable enclosure and ran into the garden of the house belonging to Alma Roberts, who owned a Yorkshire terrier called Jake.

The dogs again entered the house but were chased away and, after a search, Mrs Roberts and her daughter discovered the body of their terrier in the grounds of Green's home, with injuries consistent with being savaged by other dogs.

Mitigating, Michael Clare said Green was a father of two whose wife had recently died.

He said: "This isn't something that he wanted to happen, and he has worked with his neighbours to try and find a resolution to the problems.

"He is big enough to realise he was wrong and he has been very much at the forefront of attempts to resolve the matter.

"The victims do not want his dogs to be destroyed - they realise that they are very important to Green and his family."

Green, of Ipswich Road, Newton Flotman, pleaded guilty to three offences under the Dangerous Dogs Act. He was fined a total of �450 and keep his dogs muzzled and leashed at all times in public.

He was also ordered to pay �500 compensation to Mrs Frost and �211 to Mrs Roberts, and court costs of �800.