A recovering heroin addict who offered to walk an elderly woman's boxer has been banned from keeping dogs and has to pay £1,200 in compensation, after the animal injured another man.

Paul Tyrrell, 51, had offered to walk the elderly woman’s dog, called Spartacus, each day after the woman’s husband died and she was unable to get out to walk him.

However, after Mr Tyrrell had taken Spartacus out for a walk one day and returned to his home in Benenden Manor in Goudhurst Road, in Twydall, he forgot to close his front door and the dog got out.

At the same time, another dog owner, Lewis Openshaw, was returning to the building with his dog Buster and Spartacus came running towards them and tried to attack Buster.

Mr Openshaw picked up his dog but as he did so, Spartacus, bit him on the top of his right arm which resulted in him having to have minor surgery at East Grinstead Hospital.

Tyrrell was questioned by police and told them he was the owner of the dog and was later charged with being in charge of a dog dangerously out of control.

However, when he appeared in court and admitted the offence, Tyrell told magistrates he was not the owner and just cared for the dog during the day and walked him, but returned him to his elderly owner each night.

“We are banning you for keeping a dog for five years as we feel you are not a fit and proper person to be responsible for a dog" - Mervyn Holt

Magistrates also heard the elderly owner had since died and her relatives had taken the dog after her death. Tyrrell told the court he had no idea where Spartacus was now.

Debbie Jones, prosecuting, said Mr Openshaw’s dog Buster had to undergo treatment at the vets which cost him £120 and Mr Openshaw had to take time off work to recover from his injury.

Margaret Hyde, defending, added: “He forgot to close the door, he was simply the dog walker.

The court also heard Tyrrell was a recovering heroin user after being addicted to the drug for 20 years, but was now on a methadone prescription. Magistrates banned him from keeping dogs for five years and placed him on a 12-month conditional discharge.

Chairman of the bench, Mervyn Holt, said: “We are banning you for keeping a dog for five years as we feel you are not a fit and proper person to be responsible for a dog."

He was also ordered to pay £1,200 compensation to Mr Openshaw, at a rate £10 per fortnight as he is in receipt of benefits, meaning it will take Tyrrell four years and eight months to pay off the debt.