Drunken thug bit chunk out of friend's ear before spitting it out during brawl

Phillip Lodge latched onto his friend's ear and ripped a piece off while they were rolling around on the ground after a boozy session descended into violence.

The 39-year-old had spent the evening drinking with friends outside his Darlington home before getting into an argument with his victim, Teesside Crown Court heard.

After initially going back to his own home, the defendant then returned to the street to continue the argument which soon erupted into a street brawl at 8am on April 18.

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Sentencing Lodge to three years in prison, Recorder Nathan Adams said: "You had all been drinking together the day before, indeed you had all been having a good time, the drinking continued into the night.

Phillip Lodge

"It's quite clear that an argument started and that was broke up but in the early hours of the following morning you decided to go back and the argument continued. It spilled out into the street and went from an argument into violence.

"You accept you started with the first push and matters escalated into a fight and it is quite clear, that despite efforts to break it up, it continued.

"The scuffle escalated when you decided to use your teeth as a weapon and to bite down extremely hard on the victim's ear.

"The single bite tore off a large part of his ear and you spat it out on the street."

Lodge, of Hamsterley Street, Darlington, pleaded guilty to causing grievous bodily harm with intent following the fight in April this year.

The court heard how the victim had been left permanently disfigured after having a section of his ear bitten off.

Stephen Hamill, in mitigation, said the father-of-one was mortified when he saw the extent of the injuries he had caused and showed 'genuine remorse' for his 'moment of madness'.

"His remorse is substantial, he is still incredulous that, as an adult, he not only finds himself in custody having thrown away all the progress he has made in his life but he is there for doing this to someone he classed as a friend," he said.

"Upon seeing the photographs by me, he became immediately and extremely emotional, and was genuinely sickened by the injury itself and this was not out of fear of consequence to him but out of shame and the impact this will have on his friend."

Lodge was also issued with a ten-year restraining order.

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