A Scaffolder who bit off “a substantial” part of another man’s ear has been jailed for four years.
Simon Burrows, aged 35, was already on bail for another offence of inflicting grievous bodily harm and for crashing his car through a toll barrier on the Cleddau Bridge.
Kevin Riordan, prosecuting, told Swansea crown court that Burrows had been in a long, on-off relationship with Emma Bancroft.
On October 13 he saw her in the street and a row developed. Burrows hit her several times to the face and Miss Bancroft ran to the home of her mother in Clare Walk, Pembroke.
Her mother answered the door to find Burrows standing over Miss Bancroft, punching her in the face as she held her two and a half year old daughter.
Burrows drove away from the scene, forcing other drivers to take evasive action. When he reached the Cleddau Bridge he smashed through the barrier.
Mr Riordan said when police caught up with Burrows they saw him get out of the car holding a length of rope. He was detained under the Mental Health Act because he appeared to be suicidal.
A blood test showed he was almost twice over the drink drive limit.
Burrows admitted inflicting gbh, dangerous driving and drink driving.
Mr Riordan said he was granted bail.
On December 1 he went to a flat in Tenby Court, Monkton, where some friends were drinking.
One of the visitors, Lloyd Anthony Richard Jenkins, thought Burrows was about to attack another man and intervened.
Burrows responded by biting his ear and wouldn’t let go even when Mr Jenkins put a thumb into one of his eyes.
Burrows bit off part of the ear and spat it out.
He denied inflicting grievous bodily harm but was convicted by a jury.
He maintained that although he had placed his teeth onto the ear the damaging biting had happened because someone had hit his chin from below.
Judge Keith Thomas said the father of six, a scaffolder, had used his teeth as a weapon.
The attack on Miss Bancroft, he added, had involved the deliberate targeting of a vulnerable person.