A cruel pet owner admitted to leaving his dog with horrific injuries by biting him while high on cannabis.

Tyler Laverick, 20, confessed that he sunk his teeth into his eight-month-old Staffordshire Bull Terrier named Diesel, last October.

At an initial hearing in April, the court was told that Diesel was seized by police after members of the public reported seeing the dog being assaulted by a male.

Officers attended Laverick’s former home in North Shields and found the pet with horrific injuries to his face, eyes and ears, inside the residence.

The court heard that when asked how the pet suffered the visible wounds to his head, Laverick responded by saying: ‘I was biting him, I was stoned’.

Judith Curry, prosecuting for the RSPCA at the time, said: ‘When the constables arrived at the address, a male answered the door. The male was Tyler Laverick.

‘He was asked if he had a dog on the premises. He replied he had a staffie that was not OK.

‘The constables entered and found a Staffordshire Bull Terrier with visible facial injuries. Tyler Laverick stated to the officer that he had bitten the dog.

‘He was cautioned and arrested for causing unnecessary suffering to an animal.’

The court heard that Laverick then told officers he had been smoking weed and, when asked about the condition of Diesel, he replied: ‘Not good, I was biting him, I was stoned’.

Diesel was taken to the vets where a catalogue of injuries were noted, which included: Puncture wounds to his tongue; significant trauma to the nose, which was bleeding and had the whole surface of skin removed; multiple scars to his muzzle; multiple wounds to his muzzle; swelling to the left side of the jaw; bleeding in the whites of his eyes; scratches and puncture wounds on his ears, which were bleeding; a small wound to the left foreleg and multiple scars to the left foreleg.

Ms Curry added: ‘There was also evidence of previous trauma, which indicates he may have suffered previously, however, due to the nature of the scars, it’s impossible to know how these were caused.’

At the court hearing last week, magistrates said that the offence was so serious and crossed the custody threshold because Diesel had suffered ‘prolonged and deliberate’ abuse.

Laverick, formerly of Front Street, North Shields, but now of Armstrong Road, Wallsend, denied one charge of causing unnecessary suffering to an animal but changed his plea to guilty on the day the case was listed for trial, June 28.

Now, the dog owner has narrowly avoided an immediate stint behind bars after magistrates in North Tyneside gave him an 11-week prison sentence, suspended for 18 months.

Stephen Davies, mitigating, said Laverick had substantial mental health difficulties and had previously pleaded not guilty as there were concerns those difficulties meant he didn’t have the intention or knowledge of wrongdoing that constitutes part of a crime.

Laverick was also ordered to pay £750 costs and was banned from keeping animals for 10 years.