Female thug bit off the tip of woman’s finger in unprovoked nightclub attack
A vicious assailant posed for photos with the tip of a 31-year-old mother’s finger in her mouth after biting it off in a nightclub toilet.
Libby Armstrong, 22, posted photos of herself on Snapchat after she ran off with the tip of Toni Lough’s finger following an ‘unprovoked’ attack.
Police later arrested the attacker but were unable to recover Ms Lough’s finger in time to reattach it.
Armstrong has now been sentenced to four years in prison after admitting he was intentionally injured at Newcastle Crown Court, in a sentence described by Ms Lough as a ‘disgrace’.
Ms Lough was forced to quit her job as a sandwich maker because of the injuries she sustained outside the Manhattan nightclub in Wallsend, North Tyneside, last September.
Libby Armstrong, 22, was jailed for four years after admitting she was intentionally injured
The vicious assailant posted pictures of herself on Snapchat with the fingertip in her mouth
The victim saw her attackers’ photos online after seeing a friend’s photos
Toni Lough, 31, was forced to quit her job due to her injuries from the unprovoked attack
The 31-year-old mother, from Newcastle, was also forced to leave her home due to threats from her attacker and now suffers from PTSD.
“Libby launched a completely unprovoked attack in the loos,” Lough said. She then followed me outside and gritted her teeth on my finger as I yelled for her to stop.
“I felt a crunch and felt her bite through the bone. It was pain. She ripped off my finger and ran off with it in her mouth.”
“I looked down and saw that the top of my ring finger was missing and I was bleeding into the street.
“I was in so much pain and my hand had to be put on ice while a crowd of rescuers desperately searched for the missing digit, but they couldn’t find it.”
Libby Armstrong, 22, pictured outside court. She was jailed after biting off her victim’s finger following an unprovoked assault outside a nightclub
Medics were unable to reattach the mother’s fingertip after the nightclub attack
After running off with Ms Lough’s finger, Libby posed for a photo with the finger in her mouth and posted it on Snapchat.
Ms Lough was shocked when a friend sent her the mean Snapchat photo after seeing it online.
‘My friend saw it online and sent it to me asking if it was mine,’ said Ms Lough. I immediately knew it was my finger because of the shape and the nail. It was horrible.’
The brutal incident left Ms Lough hospitalized for three days, during which time she underwent surgery on her finger to help it heal.
Unfortunately, it couldn’t be reattached because the police couldn’t get it back from her ailing attacker in time.
Mrs Lough was left with a bruise on her hip, cuts to her knees and PTSD and had to quit her job as a sandwich maker because of her injuries.
Toni Lough (pictured) was forced to quit her job due to her injuries and now suffers from PTSD
Toni Lough said she had to stop working because of the injuries caused by Armstrong (pictured)
The mother spent three days in hospital following the attack in Wallsend, North Tynside
She also had to leave her house after Libby threatened to burn her house down in revenge after she reported it to the police.
Mrs Lough added: ‘I don’t leave my house much now. I had to stay with my mother for six weeks after the incident because the police found evidence of Libby threatening to burn down my house.
“They had to install extra smoke detectors and lock the mailbox to prevent her from setting the place on fire.
“Eventually I had to move because of the ordeal. My finger is still healing and I have to wear gloves around the house as it is sensitive to cold.
“The wound is on my ring finger, so if I ever got engaged or married, I couldn’t bear to look at it. It’s a constant reminder of what happened.’
Armstrong, of Shearwater Close, Newcastle, admitted he was intentionally injured at Newcastle Crown Court.
Armstrong was on a suspended sentence for assaulting emergency workers at the time of her nightclub attack and has previously been convicted of carrying a hammer.
Mr Recorder David Brooke KC sentenced Armstrong to four years behind bars for the assault and a further 12 weeks for breaching the suspended sentence at Newcastle Crown Court.
However, Ms Lough thought the sentence was too lenient, calling the four-year prison sentence imposed on her attacker a ‘disgrace’.
She said, “Four years is a disgrace. She has a criminal record of violent behavior and she should have been locked up longer.
“She is a vulture, she held my finger like a sick trophy after violently attacking me.”
Defensively, Matthew Purves said Armstrong accepts her behavior was “terrible” and acknowledges its lasting consequences.
Mr Purves added: ‘She expresses her sincere regret through me and apologizes for the conduct and repercussions that the complainant continues to face.’