A LANDSCAPE gardener who bit into a man’s ear during an unprovoked attack in a Witney bar has been spared jail.

James Hearn, of East Avenue, Oxford, attacked Scott Thompson at Nortons Cafe Bar during a night out on September 13 last year.

The 23-year-old pleaded guilty to unlawful wounding and was yesterday handed a 12-month prison sentence, suspended for two years.

Prosecutor Matthew Walsh said Hearn and Mr Thompson, who knew each other through a football club, had an altercation after the defendant began “mocking” his victim’s girlfriend by making “sexual movements” behind her.

He said Mr Thompson told Hearn to “just f*** off, mate” and pushed or nudged him, leading to him walking away calmly.

But the barrister said later Hearn approached his victim in a friendly way, moved in close and said “you’re a big man”, before biting into the tissue of his ear.

Mr Walsh added: “It was completely unexpected. Mr Thomason did not realise how bad the injury was until he saw the extent of the bleeding and went to A&E. He may need plastic surgery.”

He said Hearn had no previous convictions.

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Daren Samat, defending, said: “The one person apart from Mr Thompson who realises how serious this is is the defendant. He is truly contrite.”

Judge Patrick Eccles told Hearn he would not send him to prison because “in every other respect you have shown yourself to be respectable and intelligent”.

Hearn will be subject to a twomonth curfew, carry out 200 hours of unpaid work, pay £1,038 compensation, £425 costs and a £100 victims’ surcharge.