Man jailed after biting drinker's thumb off in ‘movie-style bar brawl’ at pub
'This was a vicious and gruesome act of violence,' police say
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A man has been jailed for six years after biting a drinker's thumb off during an “all-out brawl” in a Cambridgeshire pub.
Jack Goldstraw charged at the victim with a chair raised above his head in the smoking area of the Pig and Falcon in St Neots after a row erupted into violence, Cambridgeshire Crown Court heard.
Two other men then piled in, and as the victim grabbed at Goldstraw from behind to drag him away from his friend, the 31-year-old bit down hard on his left thumb, severing it at the joint.
The pub’s landlord, who had been outside cleaning at the time of the fight on 16 September last year, described the violence as a “classic movie style bar brawl”.
But the victim, a man in his 30s, did not initially realise he had lost his thumb. The digit was later found on the floor of the smoking area.
With his thumb placed in a glass of ice, the man was raced to Addenbrookes hospital in nearby Cambridge – but surgeons were unable to reattach the ligament.
Goldstraw has since been found guilty of grievous bodily harm (GBH) with intent, and has been sentenced to six years behind bars.
Detective Constable John Whitworth, who investigated the case, said: “This was a vicious and gruesome act of violence, which has left the victim needing continuing treatment.
“I’m glad we have managed to get justice for the victim and I hope this encourages people to think twice before getting embroiled in alcohol-fuelled brawls.”