Man locked up for biting off friend’s ear in attack

Jun 3 2008 by Robin Turner, Western Mail

A MAN who bit his friend’s ear clean off and then ran away with it is beginning a five-year custodial sentence.

Robert Raymond John, 20, had been drinking with his friend Carl Thorpe as the pair watched a DVD showing footage of violence between soccer hooligans.

The DVD clips the two had been watching included scenes of fans hitting, kicking and biting each other.

But “real-life” violence suddenly broke out as John punched Mr Thorpe, 26, to the floor then punched him again up to 20 times, Swansea Crown Court heard.

Finally, he bit off “100%” of Mr Thorpe’s left ear, complete with earring, in a single, violent bite.

Timothy Roberts, prosecuting, said Mr Thorpe was left “in considerable pain and bleeding profusely” after losing his ear but John was still not finished

He stole various items of value, put Mr Thorpe’s ear in his pocket, then locked his blood-soaked victim in his own flat, even taking his mobile telephone so that he could not ring for help.

The effect, said Mr Roberts, was that Mr Thorpe was forced to shout for help from a window.

After running off with Mr Thorpe’s ear in his pocket, John stopped to place the ear in a plastic bag and hide it in dense ivy growing on a wall.

By the time the bitten-off ear was found it was too late for doctors to sew it back on again.

John, of Wavell Crescent, Pembroke Dock, admitted inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent and stealing various items from Mr Thorpe’s flat.

He was jailed for five years for inflicting grievous bodily harm and for an additional five months for breaching a suspended prison sentence imposed for earlier offending.

Mr Roberts explained the background to the case.

He said on April 18 last year, Mr Thorpe, of Bush Street, Pembroke Dock, went out to buy cans of cider and bumped into John, who was sitting on a bench.

They went to Mr Thorpe’s flat to drink and to watch the DVD of football violence.

Mr Thorpe would later tell police the attack on him by John was completely unprovoked.

For his part, John told interviewing police he had attacked “an Arsenal fan” and told the officers he punched him 15 to 20 times.

After the beating, John straddled Mr Thorpe and took his entire ear “clean off” with his teeth.

Mr Roberts said John left his victim “bleeding profusely” but, more importantly, taking his ear away with him in his pocket, denying the victim any chance of an operation to re-attach it.

Mr Thorpe, shouting for help from a window, attracted the attention of passer by Tom Palmer.

The police and emergency services were then called in.

A search began for the missing ear and John himself.

Soon after, near Albion Court in Pembroke Dock, Pc Jason Richards spotted John “covered in blood.”

He was detained, but the ear was missing.

By the time John admitted he had put the ear inside a plastic bag and hidden it amongst ivy growing on a wall, it was too late for doctors to do anything with it.

The court heard Mr Thorpe still faced considerable periods of reconstructive surgery.

John’s barrister, Stephen Rees, said his client was still in denial about what he had done “it was so appalling”.

“It was an inexplicable loss of temper. It’s bizarre, putting the ear amongst the ivy,” he added.

John, himself, in a more frank second interview with police, had described “a red mist coming down”. He said he had been drunk and could not explain why he had attacked his victim with such ferocity.

Judge Gerald Price told John: “You literally ripped off his ear with your teeth. That is akin to using them as a weapon. Taking the ear with you was bizarre.”