Rebecca Dale bit her ex-boyfriend’s ear after he dropped their son off late (Picture: Cavendish Press).

A mother bit off a chunk of her ex-boyfriends’s ear after he dropped their son off 25 minutes late for an agreed visit on Christmas Day.

Rebecca Dale, 26, told John Booth ‘are you taking the p**s?’ as he kissed his child goodbye before launching the attack that left the 31-year-old permanently disfigured.

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Mr Booth also suffered a burst lip from a punch to the face and his t-shirt was was torn up in the assault.

At Manchester Crown Court, Dale admitted causing grievous bodily harm and was handed a 12 months jail term suspended for two years.


The incident occurred on Christmas Day 2015 when Dale and her new boyfriend were entertaining relatives at her house in Burnage, Manchester.

John Booth was left permanently disfigured by the attack (Picture: Cavendish Press)

Prosecutor Wayne Jackson told the court that Mr Booth had arrived back 25 minutes after the agreed 3pm return and then rang Dale to let her know he was outside.



He continued: ‘But the defendant came to the door and as Mr Booth kissed his son goodbye, the defendant said, “Are you taking the piss?” She was angry.

“Mr Booth asked her what she was on about and pointed out that he was only 25 minutes late.

‘But no sooner had he said that the defendant attacked him, punching him to the head, grabbing his face and ripping his top.’

He said Dale burst her ex-boyfriend’s lip before taking hold of hair, pulling his head down and biting his left ear.

‘He kept telling her to get off and eventually she did,’ he said.

‘Once she did this her mother and the defendant’s boyfriend came out of the house and was saying to Mr Booth: “Why are you hitting my bird”.

‘This was a family gathering so all of the family were there, they all were involved.’

He explained that Mr Booth phoned for an ambulance and was taken to hospital, where it was determined he had the pinna of his left ear bitten off, leaving him ‘permanently disfigured’.

Dale, who initially denied assault, was also ordered to complete 80 hours of unpaid work and pay a £100 statutory surcharge.

Dale received a 12 month suspended sentence at Manchester Crown Court (Picture: PA)

Dale and Mr Booth had been in a relationship for seven years, and had a son in 2010 before he broke up with her in Autumn 2015.

Her lawyer Rachel Shenton told the court the two have a sufficiently good relationship and that Dale, who has a 12 week old baby with her new partner, is planning to return to work as a florist before Valentine’s Day.

Passing sentence, Judge Martin Rudland told Dale: ‘This was an example of a happy time in the year where people should be rejoicing and happy and celebrating with each other.

‘It is also true that it is a difficult time with relationships, for people to overcome these conflicts and Christmas can highlight the difficulties in the relationships.

‘So on this, what should have been a happy family day, the complainant in this case arrived back with the child, later than the previous arrangement.’

He added: ‘You had a scrap with him on the threshold of the house which others became involved in – you reacted rapidly but quite viciously in the way that you acted, by biting his ear.



‘He did not support the prosecution case against you, and others would have tried to use that in their favour but you did not do so.

‘You and he both for the benefit of your child have put your differences to one side.

‘There is ongoing contact in the relationship with the elder of your two children. The fragile and precious relationship with the complainant and his son is intact.’