A St. David's man accused of biting part of another man's ear off was yesterday convicted in Magistrates' Court.

James Jermaine Rayner, 27, was found guilty of causing grievous bodily harm by Acting Magistrate Edward Bailey after he bit a portion of Damon Rabain's right ear off.

The attack occurred on August 5 of last year inside Club 40 where the two men had got into an altercation, which resulted in the severed ear which doctors were unable to reattached. Rayner told the court his story, he said that he felt `threatened' by Mr. Rabain.

Crown counsel Oonagh Vaucrosson said that the evidence Mr. Rabain gave was clear throughout his testimony, but once Rayner took the stand he could not produce an adequate reason for his actions.

"Mr. Rayner took it on himself to start a confrontation. I don't think it is plausible biting off an ear after feeling threatened when he clearly cited that Mr. Rabain did not have any weapons on him," said Mrs. Vaucrosson. Defence counsel Elizabeth Christopher said Mr. Rabain was a vicious man who had attacked Rayner in the past.

She referred to an incident in 2000 when Mr. Rabain set his dog on Rayner, with Rayner being bitten on his left leg. She said that at no point and time during the trial did the Crown produce any evidence as to who struck the first blow and that Mr. Rabain during his testimony had said `that there was a possibility that someone else could have pushed him which caused the fight'.

"We heard that Mr. Rabain had contempt for Rayner," said Ms Christopher. "We know that Mr. Rabain had been responsible for perpetrating a violent act." Mr. Bailey said that the bite had left Mr. Rabain maimed for life.

He remanded Rayner into custody to appear in court in August pending the results of a Social Inquiry Report.Mr. Rabain is currently serving a four year prison term for unpaid fines of $60,000 from a drug matte.