A 21-year-old Bristol man who tore off part of a shopkeeper's ear with his teeth after stealing a four-pack of lager has been jailed for three years.

Warren Kenneth Kuti of Tavistock Road, Knowle, laughed as he walked away from the assault on Stephens Crescent in August last year – but thanks to DNA samples and eye witness accounts he is now behind bars.

Kuti, who was described by the defence as having used cocaine on an increasingly regular basis around the time of the incident, was chased by the duty manager of Tesco Express on Wells Road, Totterdown, after stealing the alcohol.

He was subject to a community order at the time but had been unhappy at being told the shop couldn't sell alcohol before 10am and decided to run off with it.

Bristol Crown Court heard yesterday how the then 20-year-old left his pursuer with a lasting, "unsightly defect", biting off a chunk of his ear measuring 3cm long and 1.5cm wide.

He pleaded guilty to grievous bodily harm with intent and his three year jail term will run concurrently with a three-month sentence for the theft of the alcohol.

Prosecutor Kenneth Bell told the court that Kuti tried to bash the victim's head into the bonnet of a car before sinking his teeth into his ear while another man held him from behind.

The assault was interrupted by residents but a witness from an upstairs window was quoted by Mr Bell as saying she saw Kuti walking away laughing in a "cold and horrible way" and will "never forget the nature of it."

Passing sentence, Judge Michael Longman said: "The use of your teeth is akin to a weapon. It was a foul act."

Kuti's significant drinking, drug use and the recent loss of his grandfather were no excuses, added the judge, though he did take into account Kuti's clean record since the attack.

Defending, Jane Chamberlin, described Kuti's reactions to being chased as "entirely disproportionate" and how since his arrest he has returned to live with his mother, has stopped using class A drugs and "substantially reduced" his drinking.