A MAN who almost bled to death after being savagely mauled by two pit bull terriers has said the dogs’ owner should never have been prosecuted.

Speaking after his best friend was given a suspended prison sentence for possessing fighting dogs, Daniel Boardman said no-one was to blame for the incident at a house in Rishton.

The attack has left him with only partial use of his left hand and severe scarring across his arms and body.

Speaking after the hearing Mr Boardman said he had looked after the dogs before and had no concerns when Mark Rowland, of Hill Street, Baxenden, asked him to take care of them for the day while he went to his dad’s wedding.

“The last time I had them it was for a week and I had no worries at all about looking after them again.

"They were good dogs,” said Daniel, 20, who doctors at one stage feared would lose his right arm as a result of his horrific injuries.

“I was happy to look after the dogs and Mark wasn’t even there so how he can be blamed I don’t know.”

Mr Rowland said the pit bulls, Coco and Dekker, were family pets, not fighting or ‘devil’ dogs as they were sometimes referred to.

“They were soft and had never hurt anyone or anything before this,” said Rowland, 24.

Blackburn magistrates yesterday heard harrowing details of the attack on Mr Boardman at the home he was living in at Sands Road, Rishton, in March.

He is now living with his mum in Baxenden.

When police arrived at about 9am they heard screams of ‘Help me, please help me’.

An officer looked through the letter box to see Mr Boardman lying on his back with his clothes soaked in blood.

One of the dogs had hold of his head and was ‘thrashing’ it from side to side.

The animals were momentarily distracted by the officer and started walking round the prone victim.

Then one of them attacked an arm and another sank its teeth into his thigh.

An armed response unit eventually attended and officers used a shield to block the door and a long pole for Mr Boardman to get hold of so he could be dragged out.

Tasar guns were used to stop the dogs continuing the attack on Daniel who was taken away by ambulance.

The dogs were later destroyed.

Imran Hussain, defending, told the court Rowland understood the dogs to be Staffordshire Bull Terrier types which are not a prohibited breed.

A court had previously had heard that the dogs were examined and identified by experts as ‘class one’ dangerous dogs.

“He registered them with a local vet who has confirmed that in all his dealings with them the dogs had been friendly and not shown any aggression,” said Mr Hussain.

Rowland pleaded guilty to two charges of possessing prohibited dogs.

He was sentenced to 12 weeks in prison suspended for 12 months, made subject to community supervision for 12 months.