Thug bit woman’s ear during fight in taxi

A WOMAN who punched a peacemaker three times and then bit a chunk of her ear off escaped a jail sentence.

Instead, 22-year-old Amy McInulty, right, was ordered to perform 210 hours unpaid work, tagged and placed on an 8pm to 8am curfew for six months.

Glasgow Sheriff court heard that McInulty’s victim Gillian Furphy, 45, had tried to act as a peacemaker between McInulty and her sister as they rowed in a taxi on their way to a Glasgow nightclub.

Miss Furphy’s bitten off ear landed on the floor of the cab and was unable to be re-attached. which ended up on the floor of the cab.

McInulty had been enraged by a comment her sister made about her then boyfriend.

Miss Furphy told the pair to stop arguing and placed herself between the sisters.

Prosecutor Amanda Gallagher said: “McInulty seized Miss Furphy’s hair, pulled her head towards her and a bit off a piece of her ear.

“At this point Miss Furphy was sitting on the floor of the taxi and McInulty was on top of her.”

The taxi stopped and

McInulty fled the scene.

McInulty, from Royston, Glasgow, pleaded guilty to assaulting Miss Furphy to her severe injury and permanent disfigurement.

Sheriff Johanna Johnston QC told McInulty: “This was a dreadful vicious attack on another person.

“You bit the woman and it’s hard to imagine a more degrading attack on a person than to bite them and remove a part of their ear.”

The court heard Miss Furphy was taken to Glasgow Royal Infirmary for treatment to bruising and swelling around her eye.

Miss Gallagher added: “It was confirmed the piece of ear could not be re-attached.

“The open section of ear had stitches applied to it in order to close the 5cm wound.”

“He wasn’t prepared to accept the significant time change.”

Singh was told to submit a temporary order to close the roads the group wished to march.

Mr Bedford said: “Singh never paid for the order and it wasn’t put in place.”

Taxi driver Singh also disagreed with the route favoured by the council which would take the march south from Kelvingrove Park to Kelvin Way, Sauchiehall Street, Pitt Street, West George Street, George Square, High Street and Glasgow Green.

The council said the changes were due to concerns over “public safety.”

Singh attended a police office the day before the march and was reminded about the measures in place.

Singh told the police that he was going to ahead with his original route and time.

McInulty was traced to her home later that morning and charged.

Lawyer, Paul Kavanagh, defending, told the court McInulty lost her job at a bookmakers as a result of the attack.

He added: “She has expressed that this was a horrific attack and accepted her culpability.

“She wishes to apologise to the victim.

“It was her opinion that Miss Furphy struck her first but that didn’t sit with the evidence and she accepts that.

“She accepts what she did was wrong completely.”

Police organised road closures in accordance with this.

It is estimated 30-40,000 people attended the march which went north through Gibson Street and Woodlands Road before taking the council’s route from Sauchiehall Street.

Lawyer, Bob McCormack, defending, told the court that having the march earlier than 1.30pm was “not possible” due to the attendees from further afield.

He said: “Singh discussed the route and police manned that route.

“There was no deviation from the route that the police had taken which was followed to the letter.

“This wasn’t the route in writing but it was the route agreed by him and the police.

“They were in attendance every part of the route.”

Mr McCormack added that Singh could lose his job as a taxi driver as a result of the conviction. at