Seagull ate man’s TONGUE after woman BIT it off and spat it on the pavement, a court hears
Seagull ate man’s TONGUE after woman BIT it off and spat it on the pavement in grisly attack, court hears
- Bethaney Ryan, 27, bit off James McKenzie’s tongue during a street altercation
- Row broke out between strangers in Edinburgh around 8pm in August 2019
- Ryan responded by kissing victim, spitting out tongue, which was eaten by gull
A seagull ate a man’s tongue after a female thug bit it off during a vicious street attack.
During a street altercation on the streets of Edinburgh, 27-year-old Bethaney Ryan bit off the tongue of James McKenzie.
The gruesome incident left the victim maimed for life and he was forced to look in horror as a seagull grabbed his tongue off the pavement and flew away with it.
Edinburgh Sheriff Court heard the incident happened after a row broke out between the strangers in Leith Walk around 8pm on August 1, 2019.
‘Mr McKenzie walked off and spat it out, at which point the piece of muscle was picked up by a large seagull that made off with it’
A court heard that Ryan pushed Mr Mckenzie in the body, kissed him and then bit off his tongue
According to Prosecutor Susan Dickson, as they argued Mr McKenzie moved towards Ryan with a ‘clenched fist’.
But, she responded ‘somewhat oddly’ by pushing him on the body and then kissing him.
The prosecutor said: ‘She kissed him on the lips and bit through his tongue, which caused a piece to be removed.
‘Mr McKenzie walked off and spat it out, at which point the piece of muscle was picked up by a large seagull that made off with it.’
The victim was rushed to hospital where his wound was ‘oozing blood’.
He did not require surgery because the piece of tongue was no longer available to be reattached.
Ms Dickson added that Mr McKenzie has been left permanently impaired by the loss of the tongue – which was around 2cm by 3cm in size.
Ryan, of Lochend, Edinburgh, pled guilty to assault by pushing Mr McKenzie on the body, kissing him and biting off part of his tongue as well as to his severe injury and permanent disfigurement.
Solicitor Neil Martin, defending, said the attack by his client was ‘a very strange incident in the round’.
But he added he would reserve his full mitigation to the sentencing hearing.
Sheriff Nigel Ross said ‘because of the serious nature of the incident’ he needed to defer sentencing for the preparation of reports to later this year.
