Thug bit of victim's ear in horrific drink-fuelled attack in Halifax town centre

A judge has jailed a Queensbury man for deliberately biting off part of his victim’s left ear during a drink-fuelled street attack in Halifax town centre.

The victim, who had been on a night out in February 2022, was attacked by Travis Yates and his co-defendant Bracken Moss after an altercation outside the Yates Wine Bar. Prosecutor Graham O’Sullivan told Bradford Crown Court on Friday that Yates, 31, was the main aggressor, but Moss had also joined in the early hours attack.

During the violence Yates deliberately bit off the top part of the complainant’s left ear before security staff in the area became aware of the incident and CCTV equipment was used to track the movements of the men after the attack.

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Mr O’Sullivan told the court the victim suffered various injuries including a wound to the head, a broken nose and “an extensive injury” to his left ear. Recorder Abdul Iqbal KC said he had seen the photographs of the man’s injuries and added: ”They are truly horrific and include a very serious injury to the ear which was caused by you biting part of it off Yates.”

Yates, of Lyon Street, Queensbury, was arrested later that night and in interview he admitted he had been drinking all day and didn’t know the complainant. Yates pleaded guilty to a charge of causing grievous bodily harm with intent and he was also found guilty after a trial in the magistrates court of further offences committed later in 2022 against his then partner.

Those additional offences included stalking, intentional strangulation, making a threat to kill and threats to kill the woman’s dogs.

Recorder Iqbal KC jailed Yates for five years for the grievous bodily harm offence and added an extra 12 months for the offences against his former partner. Yates will have to serve two-thirds of the six-year prison sentence and because the judge concluded he was a dangerous offender he also imposed an extended licence period of four years.

Recorder Iqbal also imposed a 10-year restraining order which bans Yates from contacting his former partner.

Moss, 26, of Backhold Drive, Siddal, Halifax, pleaded guilty to a lesser offence of unlawful wounding in relation to his role in the violence and Recorder Iqbal KC decided he could suspend his 22-month jail sentence for two years.

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He said Moss had come very close to being sent immediately to prison and as part of his sentence he will have to do 200 hours unpaid work and pay £500 compensation to the injured man. Moss will also have to pay £1000 costs and comply with conditions such rehabilitation activity requirement days and an alcohol abstinence monitoring order.

Recorder Iqbal KC said Yates had previous convictions for violence or threats of violence and at the time of the street attack he was still subject to a community order. He said the injury was permanent and irreversible and the attack had been committed while Yates was heavily under the influence of alcohol.