A man has been left disfigured after the end of his nose was bitten off by a ‘growling’ attacker.

But it was accepted that defendant Alex Williams had acted in excessive self-defence after he himself came under attack from the complainant, who was using a machete.

Williams, 23, of no fixed abode but who comes from Rhos near Wrexham, was jailed for three years at Mold Crown Court after he admitted a charge of wounding Michael Langa with intent to cause GBH.

The court heard that Williams went to seek out his ex-partner at a friend’s flat and had smashed a window. That friend rang her father, Mr Langa, who, concerned about what was going on, arrived with a machete.

The defendant was then subjected to a sustained attack and was left with a disfigurement which required reconstructive surgery.

Judge Niclas Parry said that Williams would receive credit for his guilty plea.

He had no previous convictions for violence and in view of the ‘extreme provocation’ the sentence would be one of three years.

Prosecuting barrister Matthew Curtis told the court that late evening of June 17, Natalie Miles, the defendant’s ex-girlfriend, turned up at her friend Kirsty Jones’ home address in Rhos at about 11.30 pm.

She asked to be let in urgently and to contact the police. She asked to stay the night after an earlier domestic argument. But at 1am, Williams turned up shouting ‘Natalie, come outside’ and appeared angry.

She spoke to him through an open window. Kirsty Jones rang the police and as she was on the phone the living room window was shattered.

She was so scared that she rang her father, Mr Langa, and it was accepted he arrived with a machete and began to attack Williams.

The defendant fought back and as they grappled on the ground, Williams bit Mr Langa on the arms, hands, back and chest and was making growling noises. He then bit Mr Langa’s nose and was left with his face and hands covered in blood.

The complainant told how he had been bitten multiple times and hit on the head. There were visible lacerations to his skin and the end of his nose appeared to have been bitten off, the prosecutor explained.

Williams was arrested and had blood on his face, arms, hands and legs. His clothing was also stained with blood and on the way to the police station he said: “I’ve been hit with a machete.”

He also said: “I think I bit his ear off, I definitely bit some sort of skin off him.”

Mr Langa was treated initially at the Wrexham Maelor Hospital. There was a bite mark on his nose which was deformed, multiple bite marks on his back, both hands, fingers, right thumb, and both ears.

He was transferred to the plastic surgery team at the Countess of Chester Hospital.

The prosecutor said Mr Langa sustained significant injury to the nose with loss of tissue.

Williams said that when he went to the door of the flat he got hit on the back of the head. He turned and saw a man with a machete, was attacked and feared for his life so he fought back. He admitted biting, out of fear.

Defending barrister Jonathan Duffy said it was his client’s case that he was standing near the front door of the flats, when he was hit on the back of the head. The complainant attacked him and there was a struggle when he was stabbed to the leg causing an injury

He feared for his life and accept that in an attempt to stop the attack began to bite him.

The defendant eventually managed to stop Langa assaulting him but accepted that having done so, he caused injury by biting him on the nose.

His actions went beyond lawful self-defence, he said.