A father of three was jailed for nine months yesterday for biting off another man's ear in a night club brawl.

James (Jamie) Jermaine Rayner, 27, of Battery Road, St. David's, had been found guilty of grievous bodily harm against Damon Rabain at his trial earlier this year.

At yesterday's sentencing, Crown counsel Oonagh Vaucrosson said he had maimed Mr. Rabain for life. Mr. Rabain now needs cosmetic surgery after attempts to reconnect the ear proved unsuccessful, said Mrs. Vaucrosson.

She said: "You are talking about biting off someone's ear. It's a little bit more personal than using weapons or fisticuffs (brass knuckles). You are getting into someone's personal space."

During the trial, the Crown said Rayner punched Mr. Rabain to the floor before biting off a large chunk of his right ear in Club 40 in August last year. The incident happened because Mr. Rabain had set his American Staffordshire Terrier on Rayner months before.

Yesterday, defence lawyer Elizabeth Christopher said the dog attack had left Rayner with extensive scars on his leg.

Acting Magistrate Edward Bailey said: "He was seeking revenge."

Ms Christopher said it was Raynor's first offence and he had been on remand for three months since being found guilty in July.

Rayner has three children, one of whom had been born with their lungs outside their body, said Ms Christopher.

She said the treatment had left Raynor thousands of dollars in arrears. She said Raynor's situation was a classic case for probation.

However Mr. Bailey hinted that Rayner had not expressed remorse and could not take the law into his own hands.

Rayner told the court he was reacting to the situation and was not acting in revenge.

But Mr. Bailey said it was a callous and reckless act and jailed Raynor for nine months with time served to be taken into account.

Mr. Rabain is currently serving four years in prison for unpaid fines of $60,000 from a drug matter.

During the trial Dr. Aidan Murray, a plastic surgeon, said Mr. Rabain had lost 66 percent of his ear and would have to receive treatment for several years.