Jail for thug who bit man in pub brawl

A DRUNKEN argument between two pub-goers turned nasty when one man bit the other on the cheek during a fight.

Victim John Anderson will be scarred for life as a result of the vicious assault, Livingston Sheriff Court heard yesterday.

His attacker Derek Shearer, 38, was jailed for four months when he appeared in court and pleaded guilty to assaulting Mr Anderson, to his severe injury and permanent disfigurement.

Shearer, of Harrysmuir Gardens, Pumpherston, West Lothian, admitted struggling violently with Mr Anderson in August last year, then biting him on the face.

Depute fiscal Paul Beaton said the attack happened after the two men became involved in an argument in the Torphichen Arms Hotel in Mid Calder.

Shearer's solicitor, Kevin Dugan, said the accused had readily admitted his guilt and wanted the case dealt with as quickly as possible.

He said: "Although he got involved in an argument, he knows he went far too far in trying to deal with it."