Warnervale: Billy Hart, 23, pleads guilty to cutting part of a man’s ear off

A man has pleaded guilty to his part in a gruesome home invasion and torture of another man in which pliers and a knife were used to hack part of the victim’s ear off, a court has heard.

Billy Hart, 23, of Norah Head, pleaded guilty in Wyong Local Court on Tuesday. (AAP Image/Sue Graham)(AAP Image/Sue Graham)

Two men held a victim down and used pliers and a knife to hack part of his ear off in a horrifying home invasion, a court has heard.

Billy Hart, 23, of Norah Head, appeared via video link at Wyong Local Court on Tuesday where he pleaded guilty to aggravated breaking and entering, inflicting grievous bodily harm and assault.

An agreed set of facts states Hart was in the back seat of a car with another 22-year-old man in the front passenger seat and his then girlfriend driving, when they stopped on Warnervale Rd, Warnervale, about 11am on March 16.

The men got out of the car with Hart’s co-accused entering a detached dwelling at the rear of a property where he woke up a victim, 23, who was known to them, the facts state.

The man told the victim they “needed to talk” and they went into the lounge room when Hart also walked into the dwelling.

Billy Hart, 23, of Norah Head, pleaded guilty in Wyong Local Court on Tuesday. (AAP Image/Sue Graham)

“Discussions continued and the victim recalled being punched in the face by both offenders for `a while’ and says he can’t remember much after that,” the facts state.

The co-accused’s girlfriend allegedly noticed Hart had left a black Louis Vuitton bag in the back seat and she brought it into the house where she saw the victim on the ground with the two standing over him.

Hart and his co-accused were seen by an excavator operator across the road to walk behind a pile of dirt where police later found the knife and pliers. Picture: Google

She walked out and drove home.

“The co-accused held the victim’s right ear with a pair of pliers and the offender (Hart) used a knife to cut his ear,” the facts state.

“The victim believes the pliers and the knife were from his house.”

A neighbour, who had borrowed some jumper leads from the victim’s father earlier, returned and “could hear something going on inside”.

He called out for the victim and the victim’s father until Hart’s co-accused allegedly came out and said “what the f--k do you want?”.

The neighbour had borrowed some jumper leads that he was returning when he heard something going on inside. (File image)

The facts state Hart’s co-accused told the neighbour to “f--k off” and the man dropped the leads and left before calling police.

Both accused allegedly left on foot and were seen by a nearby excavator driver to walk behind a pile of dirt.

The victim was taken to Gosford Hospital where he lost about 1cm of tissue from the top corner of his ear down to the lobe.

“He was required to undergo surgery to trim back the cartilage in his ear and facilitate the closure of the skin over the cartilage edge,” the facts state.

He was discharged two days later.

Police arrived and spoke to the excavator driver who directed them to the dirt pile where they found the blue pocket knife and pliers.

The victim’s blood was on both while Hart’s DNA “could not be excluded” from the mixed profile found on the pliers.

Hart was arrested a week later after attending Wyong Police Station. He did not give an interview.

Police arrested his co-accused on March 30. He was interviewed but told police “I don’t know what you’re talking about” and denied knowing either the victim or Hart.

He was later charged with the same offences and returns to court on December 17 when he is expected to enter a plea.

Meanwhile Hart was adjourned to face Gosford District Court on January 16 to fix a sentence date.