Lady Leshurr bit woman's hand in attack - court

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Lady Leshurr
Image caption,

Lady Leshurr is accused of attacking two women during a fight

Rapper Lady Leshurr bit a woman's hand so hard she suffered "nerve damage", a court heard.

The 35-year-old artist, whose real name is Melesha O'Garro, is accused of assaulting her ex-girlfriend Sidnee Hussein and Ms Hussein's then partner Chante Boyea in Leyton on 22 October 2022.

Ms Boyea told Snaresbrook Crown Court the bite to her hand ended her career.

Ms O'Garro denies two counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

She is on trial alongside Sherelle Smith, 29, from Yardley, Birmingham, who denies one count of the same charge.

The court heard how the defendants flagged down Ms Boyea's car at about 05:00 BST as she was driving to work along Knotts Green Road, Walthamstow.

Ms Boyea told the court on Wednesday that after she stopped, Ms O'Garro "bit down on my hand and from that point on she didn't let go".

Ms Boyea, who was training to become a dog handler at the time, said she suffered nerve damage to her left hand as a result of the attack and can no longer hold a dog's lead securely.

"I will never be able to continue in that line of work again," she told the court.

Doctors notes referenced her left hand being injured but not nerve damage specifically, Ronnie Bergenthal, for Ms O'Garro, told the court.

He claimed Ms Boyea used her security dog in the boot of the car "as a weapon on Ms O'Garro" and added: "You were directing that dog to bite Ms O'Garro."

Ms Boyea denied this, and said: "At no point did I throw punches or attack her or release the dog from the boot".

Lady Leshurr, from Kingshurst, Solihull, previously hosted a weekly show on Saturdays on BBC Radio 1Xtra.

The trial continues.

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