A Jewish inmate bit a Muslim prisoner’s ear off in an argument over religion, a British court has heard.

Lawyers for Paul Jones, 43, who was sentenced to 18 months for grievous bodily harm, said he felt isolated and threatened before lashing out, but acknowledged that their client had taken matters “a step too far”.

During the 2017 incident, Jones grabbed fellow inmate Azhar Hussain and bit off the outer rim of his ear before spitting it onto the floor and choke-slamming his victim into a table, the court heard.

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“A certain cohort of prisoners was effectively in charge of certain wings,” said Jones’s lawyer Christopher Johnston, explaining the context.

“He [Jones] entered as a Jewish man. Predominately people in his block were of a different faith. He was asked to move cells to make room for people of their own faith. He says he was subject to intimidation prior to the incident, he felt very isolated. He feared attack from the men and he took a step too far.”

Jones, who admitted the charges, apologised to Aylesbury Crown Court for appearing in a track suit, saying he was unable to find a suit. The judge later called him “very courteous”.

The judge heard that Jones has a string of convictions from 1994 for burglaries, thefts and violence. He had just been jailed in August 2017 before he committed the offence in Woodhill prison, Milton Keynes, in September 2017.

Prosecutor Charles Digby said: “He bit him on the ear, so hard that he bit off the pinna, the outer rim of the ear. He also must have been a very strong man, because he grabbed hold of him by the neck and slammed him onto a table.”

Digby added: “A bit of his ear was found on the floor. I cannot say from the medical reports I have seen that they did more than stitch it up.”