A violent thug who has been in and out of jail “like a yo-yo” is back behind bars after biting off a man’s eyebrow in a savage attack at a party.
Father-of-one Daniel Blair tore a chunk out of Peter Muir’s face and spat it back out during a drunken row at Ballantrae Gardens on June 17.
The victim needed plastic surgery including a skin graft and will be left with severe and permanent scarring, Dundee Sheriff Court was told.
Violence erupted after Blair, 26, got into an argument with Mr Muir in a taxi on the way to the party.
Once they arrived at the house, the argument resumed and Mr Muir punched Blair.
Fiscal depute Kirsten Letford said the brawl escalated.
“A struggle continued on the couch”, she said.
“The accused got on top of Mr Muir and bit a chunk out of his eyebrow and spat it out.
“Mr Muir walked to his mother’s house using his jacket to stem the blood.”
The victim was taken to Ninewells Hospital, where medics found he had a 3cm wound above his left eye.
Surgeons had to take skin from his ear and sew it on to the spot where his eyebrow should have been.
“The consultant plastic surgeon advised he will have a significant scar for the rest of his life”, Ms Letford added.
“It will look like a patch with no hair.”
When police went to the scene of the attack they found Blair with a black eye and wearing a blood-stained jacket, the court heard.
There was also blood on the living room floor and smeared on the door frames, with the DNA matching that of Mr Muir.
Blair’s defence solicitor Anika Jethwa said: “He does have an unenviable record and has had a long-standing alcohol addiction.
“He has been in and out of prison like a yo-yo.
“He grew up in care, suffers from depression, anxiety and possibly some kind of personality disorder.
“Alcohol had been consumed and the complainer punched him first, however he does accept he went well beyond self-defence.”
Blair, a prisoner at Perth, pled guilty to assault to severe injury and permanent disfigurement and was sentenced to 20 months imprisonment.
