Sheffield reveller bit off part of student’s ear on night-out

Callum Burns got his victim in a bearhug as he sat in the seven-seater black cab, parked on Matilda Way, just after 3am, on September 14, 2018, said prosecutor Mehran Nassiri.

He bit the bottom of the man's right ear lobe off before he was pushed out. His victim was taken to hospital in Doncaster where his ear was sutured by an ENT specialist and he received antibiotics.

In a statement, the man, who was due to study in Manchester, said the "painful" injury required 14 stitches and changed his appearance, leaving him “disfigured.”

A friend of the victim was able to trace Burns through Facebook, Mr Nassiri added.

When he was interviewed, Burns claimed he was attacked and had "no option but to bite as his arms were held behind his back."

Tim Gaubert, mitigating, said: “All the defendant can remember is some blows coming down on him.”

“It was difficult to see why the case had taken so long to come to court,” he said. “The ongoing proceedings have had a significant effect on his mental health.”

He said Burns, who is from a “good family,” left university to obtain work, and a “positive” pre-sentence report considered him to be at low-risk of re-offending.

He said Burns sustained some injuries during the altercation, and added that his lack of previous convictions, the "single blow" he delivered, his genuine remorse, youth and relative immaturity meant it was an isolated incident.

"Immediate custody would be devastating for him," Mr Gaubert added. "The court will never see Callum Burns again. He bitterly regrets what happened."

Burns, 21, of Furnace Close, Sheffield, pleaded guilty before a trial.

Judge Peter Kelson QC said the delay was “wholly unacceptable and repugnant to justice.”

“We should not be dealing with cases where it is now two years since you were interviewed,” he told Burns.

He sentenced Burns to 18 months in prison, suspended for two years, with 15 rehabilitation days and ordered him to pay £5,000 compensation. Judge Kelson told Burns that Mr Gaubert’s submissions “saved his bacon,” as he was planning to send him to prison.

Read the latest cases from Sheffield Crown Court here.

Thank you to all who support local journalism with a digital or print subscription to The Star. The events of 2020 mean trusted, local journalism is more reliant than ever on your support. We couldn't do it without you. Subscribe here https://bit.ly/2YqMXgK so we can keep campaigning on your behalf. Stay safe.