A “THUG” who left a man scarred for life after biting off part of his ear in a “savage and unprovoked” street attack has been jailed.

Sean Bartlett punched unsuspecting Ollie Lamacraft to the floor before kneeling over him, sinking his teeth into his right ear and tearing away a chunk of his helix.

The 35-year-old then shoved his thumb into Mr Lamacraft’s mouth and used it to slam his head into a paving slab.

The attack left Mr Lamacraft scarred for life, with doctors unable to reattach the piece of his ear.

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He was also left in fear for two weeks as he awaited results of a HIV test.

Appearing at Southampton Crown Court, Bartlett was jailed for nearly seven years by Judge Robert Pawson, who labelled him a “thug”.

He said: “There was absolutely no justification for this savage, and I mean savage, attack you launched on Mr Lamacraft.

“I have seen photographs of the injuries, and even if the medical teams had managed to clean him up, those injuries would still have been as toe-curlingly ghastly as they are.”

Prosecutor Dan Sawyer told the court how the attack happened around midnight on August 25, as Mr Lamacraft walked along Western Esplanade towards Southampton Central Station.

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The scaffolder, from Romsey, was on the phone to his girlfriend when he was approached by Bartlett.

Mr Sawyer said: “Bartlett jokingly commented, asking if his girlfriend was giving him grief.

“Mr Lamacraft said yes but that he loved her and offered to show him a picture of her.

“His girlfriend said at that point the phone went dead.”

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Mr Sawyer said Bartlett punched his victim to the ground and repeatedly smashed his head into the pavement.

"He then leant over and bit Mr Lamacraft’s ear," said My Sawyer.

“Part of the ear was bitten off - the part being the lower two thirds of the helix.

“It has left Mr Lamacraft scarred for life as it could not be reattached.”

Mr Sawyer read out a victim impact statement on behalf of Mr Lamacraft, in which he revealed the attack had left him scared to go out at night.

He said Mr Lamacraft’s young daughter had seen the injury and reacted by putting her hand over her own ear.

The court also heard Mr Lamacraft needed 18 injections in his ear and was forced to take a HIV test, which took two weeks to produce a negative result.

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Mitigating, Rob Griffiths said his client had incorrectly believed Mr Lamacraft had called him a swear word before the attack.

He added that Bartlett had a “long standing issue” with drink, which “causes him to behave in a way he doesn’t normally.”

“Having spoken to him, he’s clearly an intelligent and well spoken man.”

Bartlett, of Upper Shirley Avenue, Southampton, pleaded guilty to one charge of wounding with intent – on the basis that he believed the swear word was used before the attack.

However, Judge Pawson said Bartlett’s claim made no difference to the sentencing.

He said: “It doesn’t matter if someone calls you that, it happens all the time, you don’t bite someone’s ear off.”

Bartlett was sentenced to six years and nine months.

Judge Pawson added: “You must use this as a starting point to stop drinking and stop behaving like a thug, because you have damaged that man (Mr Lamacraft) for life."