A man whose dog bit off part of a six-year-old girl's ear has been given a 12-week suspended jail term and placed under curfew for six weeks.

Gary Hindley, 56, of Woodberry Way in Chingford, Essex, admitted allowing a dog to be dangerously out of control in a public place and causing injury under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991, after his pet mauled the child in a park in Essex last month.

Hindley was sentenced at London's Thames Magistrates' Court for his role in the attack which resulted in the child having part of her ear bitten off as well as sustaining injuries to her neck and shoulder.

His sentence was suspended for two years but he was disqualified from owning any animal for 10 years and will be electronically monitored under curfew between 8pm and 7am for six weeks.

Hindley must also carry out 200 hours of unpaid work, to be completed in the next 12 months, and pay compensation totalling £450, a sum district judge Robert Roscoe said is "very low" and would have been "far more" if Hindley was working.

The judge also ordered that the dog, Buddy, should be destroyed.

Before Hindley was sentenced he presented, through his solicitor Ozlem Cetin, a letter of apology for the girl's parents.

Ms Cetin said Hindley had kicked and punched the dog in an attempt to protect the child, adding: "He is very remorseful. He's very sorry. He has written a letter to the parents."

She added: "He says he was in as much of a shock as the parents."

But the judge said Hindley did not do his duty by his dog or by others around him, adding that all pets must be properly controlled. He said: "Buddy was not well-trained, not well-looked after and not well-supervised."