A MAN whose ear was bitten off in an early morning town centre fight was in court to see his attacker jailed.

Daniel Hamer was jailed for four years and nine months last Wednesday for the ‘determined’ attack on his 38-year-old victim.

Warrington Crown Court heard how Hamer, aged 20, of Whitecross Road in Bewsey, kneeled on his victim, pinning him to the ground, and bit both his shoulders before sinking his teeth into his right ear and ripping it off.

Doctors were unable to reattach the man’s ear and he is left with ‘serious permanent disfigurement’ following the attack on Rylands Street in the town centre on February 14, Judge David Hale said.

The court heard how the fight began when the man made what he considered to be a joke about Hamer’s friend’s feet smelling after she took her shoes off.

Hamer confronted the man and within seconds the two were fighting, prosecutor Martin McRobb said.

Before long the victim was on the ground with Hamer straddling him.

“The defendant was doing everything he could to throw punches at the man’s head,” said Mr McRobb.

“He was defenceless and aimlessly tried to put his free arm up to defend himself, at one point putting his fingers in the defendant’s mouth.

“The defendant was too strong. He said ‘let’s see what you can do without your ear’.

“He then leaned over his upper body and began to bite him.

“He bit him on both shoulders and then managed to bite into his right ear, ripping the top half of the ear away.”

Hamer, who has previous convictions for disorder and robbery, pleaded guilty to wounding on the morning his trial was due to begin after seeing transcripts of his victim’s police interviews.

“You won’t hear him making any excuses for his behaviour because there are none,” his barrister Ian Morris told the court.

Giving Hamer credit for his guilty plea, Judge Hale sentenced him to four years and nine months in a young offenders’ institution.

Speaking after the sentencing, DC James Thompson said: “It was a horrible attack that has left the victim permanently scarred.

“I think the sentence reflects the severity of the incident and shows we won’t tolerate those kind of attacks in Warrington.”