A man was sick in the dock as his wife was jailed for biting part of a barmaid's ear off during a brawl at a pub.
The victim was left permanently disfigured after Gemma Rowlands' sickening assault. She was locked up at Liverpool Crown Court today, Tuesday, as her stunned husband Darren More was allowed to walk free from court over his part in the incident.
Simon Christie, prosecuting, told the court that the now married couple were described as "causing trouble from the start" after entering the Firemans Arms in Birkenhead on the evening of November 11 2019. At around 10.30pm, Rowlands began arguing with other customers and she and More - both of Victoria Road in Tranmere - were asked to leave the "busy" pub.
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But a scuffle ensued in which landlady Michelle Thomas, who was off-duty on the night in question, fell to the floor with the mum "on top of her". Her ear was bitten by the carer at this point as drinkers tried to separate them.
More was seen pushing and fighting with peacekeepers as they did so, with his top being removed during the altercation. Both he and Rowlands were then thrown out of the premises.
CCTV footage of the brawl was played to the court during their sentencing hearing. The clip - which lasted some eight minutes - showed a verbal argument descending into pushing and shoving involving around a dozen people, a large number of whom were then seen grappling on the floor.
Punches could be seen being thrown by some, including blows aimed at More. Ms Thomas suffered "severe injuries" to her ear after Rowlands' bite, causing a "significant deformity".
She had to visit her GP daily in the aftermath to have the horrific wound checked and redressed until her stitches were removed, after which she was given a prosthetic to fit using glue. The complainant will require reconstructive surgery consisting of four operations, involving the removal of cartilage from her ribs.
Ms Thomas has not yet undergone this procedure however, with the "grave injury" leaving her "permanently disfigured". A statement read out to the court on her behalf described how she now suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and has undergone counselling, adding: "I'm stuck looking the way I do.
"I find it difficult to talk about what has happened. For the first six weeks, I didn't move from my mum's sofa.
"It has had a massive impact on me as a person. There is not a day where I don't think about what happened.
"People look at my ear and think I'm a violent person, which I'm not. I feel like for the past few years I have been going round in circles.
"I know this is something that will be with me for the rest of my life. This has totally changed me as a person.
"I used to be bubbly and see the good in everyone, but now I don't. I was very confused and angry."
Rowlands has no previous convictions. David Polglase, appearing on the 25-year-old's behalf, said a dispute had erupted after his client "removed a child from the toilets" and took them to their parents, but was accused of having "scared" the youngster.
The assault then came after the mother-of-two, who works with autistic children, and her friend had been "grabbed by their hair and taken out". The barrister added: "She accepts she had consumed drink, but she doesn't accept she had been drinking all day - she had some drink in Liverpool over a long period of time, but a limited amount of drink and perhaps one more in the pub.
"Ms Rowlands accepts she spoke to a DJ - she says she was at most cheeky to the DJ, and there were issues about wanting to sing a song on the karaoke. There were children running about in the pub in the footage.
"She assisted in removing a child from the toilets and returned the child to one of the parents. She defended her position and said she hadn't scared the child.
"There are others involved who were not holding back or covering themselves in glory. My lay client looks back at what happened that night with remorse and regret.
"Your honour can genuinely look at this eight minutes and says that is something very different and out of character for Ms Rowlands. She has not been in trouble before.
"It is evident that my lay client can be a successful member of society and is valued in her employment. She is disgusted by her actions."
Darren More has one previous convictions for drink driving in 2015. After his arrest, the 31-year-old said he had consumed 12 pints of Carling and a "fight just kicked off".
He later said that he too had been acting as a "peacekeeper". Charles Lander, defending, told the court that his client worked 80 hour weeks in traffic management and had become a "step father" to Rowlands' kids.
More's counsel added: "It is over three years since the commission of this offence. Mr More isn't someone who has just sat around, he is someone who is hard-working.
"He is someone who joined the army and was hoping for a promising career, but he snapped his ligament in 2010 and his progress was cut short. References describe the defendant as hard-working, reliable, punctual, well-mannered, a joy to work with and someone who cares for his family.
"He had drunk too much that day. He was minding his own business, a man grabbed hold of him and perhaps his natural instincts kicked in at seeing his partner on the floor being restrained - he accepts what he did then became unlawful."
Rowlands admitted wounding and was jailed for 14 months. More pleaded guilty to affray and was handed a four-month imprisonment suspended for a year.
He broke down in tears as his wife was taken down, then began retching in the dock. This continued as the defendant was taken into the back room leading to the cells, where it appeared he was being sick.
Sentencing, Judge Louise Brandon said: "Several people in that pub should be truly ashamed of their behaviour that night and are fortunate not to be joining you in the dock. You, Ms Rowlands, caused a serious injury to Ms Thomas - you bit part of her ear off.
"Ms Thomas has suffered a significant deformity to her ear, requiring extensive medical treatment. She has had to change how she conducts her life and it has changed how people treat her.
"The incident only took eight minutes, but in that eight minutes you argued with several people, got involved in a fight and went on to cause this serious injury. You caused a grave injury which is permanent and disfiguring."
Turning to More, the judge added: "This was a busy pub, you were in drink and it was a prolonged incident. You are clearly a hard-working man who has had several challenges in life.
"There has been a delay in bringing proceedings to a conclusion, not all caused by your late decision to enter a guilty plea. I am prepared to treat you as a man of good character."
Returning to Rowlands, Judge Brandon continued: "There is no doubt that you clearly deeply regret your involvement in this offence and that you are an intelligent, hard-working woman. In your case, I have reached the conclusion that the circumstances are such that appropriate punishment can only be achieved by immediate custody."
Merseyside Police said they did not have a custody picture of Rowlands. More was also told to serve a rehabilitation activity requirement of up to 40 days and to pay £300 in compensation to Ms Thomas.
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