Woman sentenced for biting girlfriend's lip off

Sarah-Louise Elliott was sentenced at Newcastle Crown Court

A woman who bit a chunk of her girlfriend's bottom lip off during an argument has been given a suspended prison sentence.

Sarah-Louise Elliott, 23, attacked her partner of three years after accusing her of cheating on her in March 2022, Newcastle Crown Court heard.

Elliott, from Swalwell in Gateshead, admitted wounding without intent and was jailed for 21 weeks suspended for 18 months, with 150 hours unpaid work.

Judge Carolyn Scott said Elliott "lost her mind" and the attack was "unacceptable".

The court heard an argument broke out at the couple's home on the evening of 19 March, with Elliott accusing her partner of cheating on her.

It escalated to violence when the victim called Elliott's mother a "homophobic freak", the court heard.

Elliott, of Derwent Crescent, hit and kicked the woman before biting down on her bottom lip and tearing a 1in (2.5cm) gap, prosecutor Neil Pallister said.

She then accompanied her victim to hospital, telling ambulance staff she was her sister, the court heard.

Teeth as weapon

The victim initially told police she had been attacked on her way home but later admitted it was Elliott who had bitten her, Mr Pallister said.

In mitigation, Joe Culley said it was a "volatile relationship" and police had 48 pages of incident records involving the victim with previous partners and Elliott dating back to 2013.

He said any abuse was "not one-way traffic" and the couple had split up after the attack.

Judge Scott said Elliott "lost her mind" after the comment was made about her mother and, instead of walking away, carried out an "entirely unacceptable" attack.

She said Elliott used her teeth as a weapon and the victim was left with a scar, although it was unclear what the long-lasting effect would be and the woman had declined to make a victim impact statement.

But, the judge said, Elliott was deemed to be at "low risk" of reoffending and capable of rehabilitation.