A woman was left seriously injured after a dog owner ordered her Staffordshire Bull Terrier to attack her.

Vickilee Galloway, 37, set her dog on Stacey Findlay after the two women started arguing over a name while socialising in her neighbour's flat on February 17 last year.

Part of Ms Findlay's ear was torn off and the cartilage was damaged after she was mauled by the Staffie at the property on Leask Avenue in Peterhead.

The dog then launched an attack on his co-owner Brian Pennie, who lived in the flat, after Ms Findlay managed to escape from the building.

Both victims had parts of their ears missing and needed hospital treatment.

Galloway admitted a charge of assault by inciting her pet to attack another woman when she appeared at Aberdeen High Court on Wednesday.

She also pleaded guilty to being the owner of a dog that was so dangerously out of control that it attacked Mr Pennie, 68, who has since died of an unrelated condition.

Advocate depute Gillian Ross told the court the incident happened after Galloway fell out with Miss Findlay while drinking in Mr Pennie's flat.

She said: "The accused started telling the complainer that her name was not, in fact, Stacey."

Ms Ross said Galloway then told her pet dog Jake to attack the other woman.

She told the court: "She used the words 'get her', 'Jake attack', or something similar.

"She was bitten on the arm which caused her to fall to the ground. The dog then started biting and attacking her left ear."

Galloway eventually managed to get the dog under control by grabbing his collar after it injured Mr Pennie and an ambulance was called out to the property.

Mr Pennie also had a 10cm wound on the left side of his neck which left his muscle exposed.

Defence lawyer Emma Toner said Mr Pennie had bought the dog for his neighbour Galloway on February 17 and they had shared the responsibilities.

She said: "She noticed that the dog seemed to have some injuries. She took the trouble to contact the police concerned about the injuries.

"She was concerned the dog had been injured in the past."

The Staffie was taken away by the dog warden after the attack and has since been cared for at boarding kennels in Banff.

Ms Toner said her client, who turned up late for her court appearance, had lived through an eventful 24 hours because she had returned to her council flat in Peterhead on Tuesday to find she had been evicted.

All her belongings were locked inside the property and she was appearing at court in the same clothes she had worn the previous day.

She was then forced to travel more than 30 miles to court in a taxi which she could barely afford because her friend let her down with giving her a lift into Aberdeen.

Galloway curled up and sobbed in the dock as Lord Kinclaven remanded her in custody.

Sentence was deferred until October 5 at the High Court in Edinburgh for background reports.