A savage thug who bit of the top of a man’s ear then “added insult to injury” by throwing it at him has walked free from court.
Dean Ellis was on bail awaiting sentence for another offence when he clashed with the victim and ended up sinking his teeth into his ear. In horrific scenes caught on CCTV, the piece of severed ear was left lying on the floor and Ellis then picked it up and threw it at the victim.
Medics were unable to reattach it and the man has been left permanently disfigured. Newcastle Crown Court heard the attack happened on April 15 2023, when Ellis and the victim were both living in supported accommodation in Blyth.
Ellis, 36, of Rosalind Street, Ashington, Northumberland, returned home and made a noise and the victim left his room to check what was going on. An argument ensued and punches were thrown and a third man tried to separate them but to no avail. Matters escalated and Ellis punched the victim several times to the head.
The victim ended up on top of Ellis and at that point he used his teeth to attack him. Judge Sarah Mallet said: “You bit his ear, severing the top of it.
“The severed ear ended up on the floor and to add insult to injury you threw it at him. It was not possible to reattach the ear and he was left with a permanent disfigurement.”
The court heard Ellis calmed down after the attack and when a 999 call handler told the victim to put the severed ear in ice, Ellis got some ice and a cloth for him to put it in.
The victim said in a statement about the impact of the attack: “This has completely knocked my confidence. Before this incident, I was an outgoing person but I now find myself not going out as much as I normally would. When I do go out I always have my hood up. I don’t want people to see my ear and judge me on my appearance.”
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The court heard Ellis has six previous conviction, including for violence in 2007 and 2008, including another offence of wounding, for which he was locked up for 18 months alongside a three and a half year sentence for aggravated burglary. In 2023 he breached a non molestation order on a former partner and was given a community order. He was on bail for that offence awaiting sentence when the ear biting attack happened.
Ellis pleaded guilty to wounding and was sentenced to 23 months suspended for two years with a community order and he has to pay £500 compensation to the victim. He must also complete the 166 hours of unpaid work which are outstanding from his previous sentence.
He claimed the victim had asked for a knife but he was not in possession of a weapon at the time. After his last prison sentence, he had established a business but it was badly impacted by Covid and he lost his business and his relationship broke down and he ended up in the place where the attack happened. Judge Mallett said he is intelligent and hard-working and has a job lined up.
Penny Hall, defending, said: “The defendant pleaded guilty on the basis of excessive self-defence. There clearly was some background between them.”
Miss Hall added: “He moved into a house with people with difficulties after coming from a family unit. He has managed to sort himself out.”
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