A woman who bit off her boyfriend’s nose during a date night from hell has avoided jail after he said she should get help for her temper tantrums.
Bronwyn Downs, 26, sunk her teeth into Luke Berry’s face during a drunken row after they got thrown out of a wine bar for arguing with other customers.
Minshull Street Crown Court in Manchester heard she then ran off leaving bystanders to look after her boyfriend as he stood bleeding profusely outside the Drawing Room bar in Bramhall, Cheshire.
Downs, a qualified beautician, was later found slumped in a neighbouring street having taken an overdose of prescription tablets.
Mr Berry was meanwhile treated in hospital for his injuries, and has now been left with a permanent facial disfigurement.
But despite his wounds he refused to cooperate with police investigating the attack, and called for Downs to get support rather than punishment.
Duncan Wilcock, prosecuting said: “The defendant met the complainant in October 2021 in Manchester City Centre. He described her as a happy, lively person. They got on well and rarely argued, and when they did it was over something small.
“He had been on nights out with her before and there had been no issues on those occasions. On March 25 last year at around 2 pm, the complainant arrived at the defendant’s house in Hazel Grove, Stockport and at 3 pm they started to get ready for a date night, in which they planned to visit bars across the Bramhall area.
“At 5pm they got a taxi to Bramhall Lane South and had a few cocktails in a number of bars in the areas, including at Piccolino.
“Everything at first seemed fine and there was no tension between them. They then left at around 7 pm, the complainant admitted at that stage to feeling tipsy. They then went to a venue called the Drawing Room on Bramhall Lane South and sat and drank there for an hour. The defendant seemed slightly more drunk at this point.
Downs then went over to use a jukebox at this venue and was followed by Mr Berry, who looked back to see another woman take his empty seat.
He went over to ask her to leave, before a second woman once again took his seat moments later.
Recalling what happened next, Mr Wilcock said: “He went over to talk to the second woman and the defendant said ‘what’s going on.”
“The groups started to become abusive towards each other and someone picked up and threw a glass. A melee broke out and door staff came over to break it up.
“A member of the door staff put the defendant in a headlock and the complainant came over to try and get in between them and help her. It ended with him ushering her out of the venue.
“When the pair got outside the venue the defendant told the complainant that she had left her bag inside. He said he would sort it out but as he said this he realised that the defendant had clamped down onto his nose with her teeth and pulled.
Mr Berry recalled “spitting the end of his nose, his nostrils, onto the floor” before noticing a “flood of blood” on the floor, Mr Wilcock said.
He asked for help from people around him and was taken taken to Stepping Hill Hospital, where he was treated for a nose injury.
The defendant was found later by police on Bramhall Lane South, where she was “drifting in and out of consciousness” having taken prescription drugs.
She was found with 16 pills on her person and was taken to Wythenshawe Hospital.
In a police interview she said that she had “blacked out” and “doesn’t remember anything”, while also revealing she “hits people and doesn’t know anything about it.”.
In mitigation, defence counsel Mr Chudi Grant said: “This was not planned, it followed a verbal altercation that erupted out of very little. It was done in the heat of the moment and resulted in a horrendous outcome for her partner.
“They were in a happy relationship with few difficulties prior to this. She is petrified of going into immediate custody. She feels remorse, shown by the fact that she tried to overdose after the incident.”
“She is trying to focus on the future. She is very much doing what she can to get her life back on track. This will live with her for the rest of her life. She is the author of her own misfortune and she is still coming to terms with what she’s done.”
In sentencing the judge Mr Recorder Michael Blakey told Downs: “This was an unwarranted attack. A nasty attack. Perhaps you were drinking more than you can cope with.
“The use of teeth is a weapon and the complainant has had to receive surgery as a result of this incident. You know that drink and drugs don’t mix, you’ve got to take your pills but do not drink in excess once you have taken them.
“This offence is completely out of character, clearly you are remorseful and have considerable insight into what you did.”