A CARLISLE academic whose videos are a huge hit on YouTube has been ordered to do unpaid work in the community after his '"out of control" dog injured a friend.

John Campbell, 67, whose health education videos on YouTube have more than three million subscribers, was sentenced at the city’s magistrates’ court for owning a dog which caused injury while it was dangerously out of control.

He admitted the offence.

District Judge John Temperley imposed the unpaid work, along with a compensation order, after hearing about how the defendant’s dog became aggressive during a walk at Kingmoor Nature Reserve.

An earlier hearing at the city's Rickergate court was given an outline of the facts.

Campbell was walking his dog Caesar in the woodland on May 20, 2022, near to his Lowry Hill Road home. The second dog involved, called Chuffy, was being walked by a friend of the defendant.

There had been previous contact between the dogs, the court heard.

Caesar was seen to run towards the other dog and attack it in the neck area, which prompted both owners to intervene. As the other man did this, trying to prise open Caesar’s mouth, his hand became trapped.

The man suffered a broken and split index finger and “multiple” bite marks on his hand. In a victim statement, the man said that the finger injury left him with a lack of sensation.

After the incident, police returned Caesar to the defendant “with suitable words of advice.”

Defence lawyer Chris Toms told the court that there had never been any previous trouble between the two dogs.

“The defendant’s dog has never shown any aggression before and Mr Campbell is at a loss to explain why this has happened,” he said.

Mr Toms said Campbell was always willing to pay the vets’ bills that were incurred as a result of Chuffy being injured. Caesar, the court heard, was a mixed breed dog though there is no element of any "bull terrier" type lineage.

The lawyer added that Campbell was a man of “exemplary character,” and a leading member of the local medical and nursing profession.

Since the incident, Campbell had ensured his dog when in public areas was always in a harness and muzzled.

District Judge John Temperley ordered 100 hours of unpaid work as part of a one-year community order. He also told Campbell he must pay compensation to the victim of £1659 as well as £85 costs and a £114 victim surcharge.

The compensation figure included sums for the continuing effects of the victim’s finger injury and also for the mental distress that he has suffered, as well as veterinary bills.

Campbell's YouTube channel currently has 3.11m subscribers. A former nurse tutor, who has a PhD, he has published scores of educational and informational videos about a variety of health issues, including the Covid-19 virus.