Man's nose bitten off

'IT WAS like biting into rubber,' was how James Warren described the sensation of biting the end off another man's nose.

But Mr Warren claimed in the Royal Court yesterday that he had bitten Paul Fletcher in self-defence.

Mr Fletcher (pictured), managing director of an environmental power company, needed plastic surgery to rebuild the tip of his nose and had to undergo five or six operations.

He told the court that after he had been bitten by Mr Warren he held his hands to his face, but blood was pouring through them.

He stumbled to an ambulance, which took him to hospital, and the following day he was transferred to St Thomas' Hospital, London, for specialist treatment.

The incident occurred near the end of the Vale Earth Fair in August.

On the first day of his trial yesterday, Mr Warren, 21, of Vidcocq Cottage, La Bailloterie Lane, Vale, denied inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent on Mr Fletcher and an alternative charge of maliciously wounding him.

Mr Fletcher, 50, told the court he had arrived at the Vale Castle between 2 and 3pm and had drunk about five pints of beer during the course of the day.

At 11.30pm he went to use the toilets outside the castle walls.

He saw a man who appeared to be attacking a girl and another girl nearby looking distressed.

Mr Fletcher said he had tried to restrain the man but he managed to break free and continued towards the woman.

'He shouted to me that it was his sister, but I didn't think it made a difference so I attempted to restrain him again,' he said.

The two men ended up on the ground with Mr Fletcher holding the man's arms to restrain him. He asked the man, who he now knew to be Mr Warren, if he knew him. Mr Warren said yes and at that point Mr Fletcher said he was attacked.

'I remember his face was right in front of mine and wondering what was going to happen next as he obviously wasn't happy.'

As Mr Warren bit into Mr Fletcher's nose, Mr Fletcher said he let go of his hold but Mr Warren maintained the grip with his teeth.

'It seemed like it went on forever,' said Mr Fletcher.

Eventually Mr Warren ran off down the hill towards the gate to the castle, where he was sick.

Advocate Mark Dunster, for Mr Warren, said Mr Fletcher had misread the situation.

'He had no idea whether it was a domestic argument or something more sinister,' he said.

Counsel said Mr Fletcher had not seen Mr Warren's girlfriend strike him

By intervening, Mr Fletcher had created the situation that the court now had to deal with.

'He thinks that biting people is entirely unacceptable, but sometimes you react instinctively and do what you must to get away.

'Self-defence is at the heart of this case.'

The case continues today.