A MOTHER-of-six whose dogs savaged a little boy in a horror attack has been jailed for nine months.

And the father of young Sam Leverett reacted to the sentence imposed on Jacqueline Cox by insisting: "She got what she deserved."

Burnley Crown Court heard how Sam suffered significant psychological trauma as well as terrible injuries in the incident on March 1 and may never fully recover.

His clothes were ripped from his body and he suffered 27 puncture wounds and cuts to his arm, legs, face, chest and stomach.

He was saved by local man Robert Ashworth, who ran to his aid with the help of two local school girls after seeing him being tossed in the air.

Jacqueline Cox's home in Burnley was torched weeks after the incident as the community was angered by what had happened.

She wiped away tears in the dock as the judge told her those who kept packs of dogs had serious responsibilities which must not be neglected.

Recorder David Manley, QC, who banned Cox from keeping dogs for 10 years, told her the only possible sentence was prison.

Speaking after yesterday's hearing, Sam's dad Jeff, 42, of Broughton Street, Burnley, said: "I feel that justice has been done. The sentence is about what I would have expected.

"Everyone's really pleased with how Sam's doing. You can hardly see the scars he has and he's seeing a psychiatrist.

"However, he's only eight-years-old, so we don't really know how much it will affect him. None of us has ever been through anything like that."

Mr Ashworth, 56, of Tunnel Street, was later nominated for a Lancashire Evening Telegraph Pride of East Lancashire award for his bravery.

Today he said: "I have been traumatised since seeing this attack and I'm surprised Sam wasn't killed.

"I don't think you ever get over seeing something like that.

"At least now the court process is finished we don't have that to worry about any more."

Cox, 38, of Albion Street, Brierfield, had earlier admitted an aggravated offence of keeping dogs dangerously out of control. She had no previous convictions.

Peter Horgan, prosecuting, said at the time the defendant lived with her family in Penistone Street, Burnley. They had five dogs and a number of puppies.

On March 1 the defendant was alone in the house and in charge of the animals.

Mr Horgan said Mr Ashworth was walking his dog on Whittlefield recreation ground and saw a pack of dogs wandering across the grass. They stopped and as he approached he was horrified to discover they were attacking a child, who was covered in blood and screaming for help.

Mr Ashworth and two 13-year-old girls, Licia Cox and Hannah Sprowell, dashed to Sam's aid shouting to try and distract the pack until they ran off. Sam, a pupils at Whittlefield Primary School, Burnley, was taken to Burnley General Hospital then transferred to Booth Hall Children's Hospital, Manchester where he underwent three operations lasting a total of 10 hours.

The court heard that when police went to Cox's home she was sitting on the settee with two snarling dogs and Mr Ashworth identified four animals as having taken part in the pack attack.

Philip Holden, defending, said her culpability lay in the fact she allowed the dogs to escape from her home.