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A beautician who bit off her boyfriend’s nose during a ‘date from hell’ escaped jail despite leaving him permanently disfigured.
Bronwyn Downs, 26, sank her teeth into Luke Berry’s face during a drunken argument after they were kicked out of a wine bar for fighting with some of the patrons on March 25 last year.
As Berry recoiled in agony, Downs, who also works as a consultant in the recruitment sector and volunteers for Cancer Research UK, shockingly spat out the tip of his nose, exposing his nostrils.
She then ran off after the “unwarranted attack”, leaving horrified bystanders to tend to her boyfriend as he bled profusely outside the Drawing Room bar in Bramhall, Cheshire.
Downs admitted to wounding and was sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment suspended for 16 months at Minshull Street Crown Court.
Bronwyn Downs sank her teeth into Luke Berry’s face after they were kicked out of a wine bar in March of last year.
The Minshull Street Crown Court heard that when Mr Berry told Downs he would find her bag, she “snapped his nose with her teeth and pulled”.
They described her as ‘happy’ and ‘buoyant’ but urged her to seek help for her temper.
Following the argument, the 26-year-old was found slumped in a neighboring street, having overdosed on prescription tablets.
Meanwhile, Mr. Berry was taken to the hospital for treatment of his injuries.
He has been left with permanent facial disfigurement.
Despite his injuries, he refused to cooperate with the police investigating the attack. Instead, he asked that Downs get support, not punishment.
No restraining order was issued, at the request of Mr. Berry himself.
Prosecutor Duncan Wilcock told the court that Downs and her boyfriend “rarely argued.”
Wilcock said: “The accused met the complainant in October 2021 in Manchester city centre. He described her as a cheerful and lively person. They got along well and rarely argued, and when they did it was over something small.
“I had gone out at night with her before and there had been no problems on those occasions.”
After Downs spat on her boyfriend’s nose, she left passersby to attend to her boyfriend as he bled profusely outside the Drawing Room bar in Bramhall, Cheshire.
Recalling the incident, the prosecutor said: ‘On March 25 of last year, at around 2pm, the complainant arrived at the defendant’s home in Hazel Grove, Stockport, and at 3pm. bars in the Bramhall area.
‘At 5pm they took a taxi to Bramhall Lane South and had a few cocktails at various bars in the area.
“At first everything seemed fine and there was no tension between them. They then departed around 7:00 pm The complainant admitted at the time to feeling dizzy.
They then went to a place called the Drawing Room in Bramhall Lane South and sat and drank there for an hour. The defendant seemed a bit more drunk at this point.
He went on to explain that there was a jukebox at the venue, which Downs went to use.
Mr. Berry then followed her, but saw that a woman had taken her seat, so he approached her to ask her to leave.
‘Shortly after that, a second woman once again took her seat. He went over to talk to the second woman and the defendant said, “What’s going on?” Wilcock said.
“The groups started abusing each other and someone picked up and threw a glass. A riot broke out and the gate staff came forward to break it up.
‘A member of the gate staff put the defendant in a headlock and the complainant approached to try to get between them and help her. She ended with him leading her out of the place.
‘When the couple left the place, the defendant told the complainant that she had left her bag inside. She said that she would sort it out, but as she was saying this she realized that the defendant had clamped her nose down with her teeth and pulled her.
‘He remembers the defendant spitting the tip of his nose, his nostrils, on the floor. Then he noticed a rush of blood on the ground. He asked the people around him for help and someone called the ambulance and the police. He was then taken to Stepping Hill Hospital, where he was treated for his nose injury.
The qualified beautician ‘feels remorse’ and says she will ‘live with her for the rest of her life’
Police later found Downs in Bramhall Lane South, where he had “taken prescription pills and was drifting in and out of consciousness”. She was found with 16 pills on her person. She then she was taken to Wythenshawe Hospital.
She was later arrested and in the interview she said that she had passed out and doesn’t remember anything. She said that she hits people and she doesn’t know anything about it. She said that her mother had something very similar.
‘The complainant refused to give a victim statement or his medical report to the police and did not want to support the accusation. He felt that the defendant needed help.
The court heard that he also requested that the court not place a restraining order between them.
In mitigation, defense counsel Mr Chudi Grant said: “This was unplanned, it followed a verbal altercation that arose out of very little.” It was done in the heat of the moment and resulted in a horrendous outcome for his partner.
“They were in a happy relationship with little difficulty prior to this. She is petrified to go into immediate custody. She feels remorse, shown by the fact that she tried to overdose after the incident.
‘She’s trying to focus on the future. She is doing much of what she can to get her life back on track. This will live with her for the rest of her life. She is the author of her own misfortune and is still accepting what she has done.
Pronouncing the sentence, registrar Michael Blakey told Downs: ‘This was an unwarranted attack. A nasty attack. Maybe you were drinking more than you can handle.
‘The use of teeth is a weapon and the complainant has had to undergo surgery as a result of this incident. You already know that drink and drugs do not mix, you have to take your pills but do not drink excessively once you have taken them.
‘This offense is completely out of character, you are clearly remorseful and have considerable idea of what you did.’
“You are an educated young woman who has suffered trauma at a young age and I think there is a realistic prospect of rehabilitation.”
Downs will also have to complete 100 hours of unpaid work and 15 days of rehabilitation activity.
- For help call Samaritans toll free on 116 123 or visit samaritans.org