Mt Warrigal man Tristan Kent refused bail after allegedly biting off part of girlfriend’s eargirlfriend’s ear
An Illawarra man has denied allegations he bit off his partner’s earlobe during a fight, instead telling a Wollongong court he simply ‘nipped’ her ear so she would release her grip on his testicles.
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An Illawarra man has denied allegations he bit off his partner’s earlobe during a fight, instead telling a Wollongong court he simply “nipped” her ear so she would release her grip on his testicles.
Mt Warrigal’s Tristan Kent, 29, was refused bail at Wollongong Local Court by Magistrate Michael Stoddart on Monday, after he was arrested and charged over an alleged physical fight with his girlfriend over the weekend.
Kent, a semi-professional rally car racer, is facing five charges including, two counts of strangulation, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, reckless grievous bodily harm and possess prohibited firearm, after a disagreement over an “inappropriate joke” allegedly turned violent.
In a set of police facts tendered to the court, it was alleged that following an afternoon of drinking, the pair had a “small disagreement” over an inappropriate joke Kent made, which prompted his girlfriend to start packing her belongings in an effort to leave.
As the argument escalated, police allege Kent grabbed his girlfriend by the throat, before biting her right forearm, allegedly leaving behind bite marks and bruising.
After this, Kent allegedly went back to his neighbours, before returning to his Mt Warrigal home around midnight, where the fight kicked back off.
In court documents, police allege Kent again put his girlfriend in a chokehold, which she told police made her “dizzy” and that she thought she would pass out.
She then allegedly bit Kent’s arm, prompting him to bite down on her right ear.
Court documents state the alleged bite caused “a portion of her right helix to detach from the ear” and that the “upper helix split vertically toward the top of her ear.”
However, in court on Monday, Kent’s lawyer said his client told him he’d only nipped her ear as she had a grabbed hold of his testicles, and that he “wasn’t aware of the seriousness of the injury”.
The woman fled the home after the alleged attack, driving herself to Shellharbour Hospital for treatment. On Monday, the court heard the injuries were so severe that plastic surgery may be necessary to fix the damage.
During a later search of the home, police allegedly located a black ‘Airsoft’ pistol and a large amount of ammunition, which Kent did not have a licence to possess.
On Monday, Kent’s lawyer told police he had purchased the pistol on online shopping site ‘Wish’ for $2, and that it did not work.
In arguing for his client’s release, Kent’s lawyer said he had genuine remorse for “any part he played” in the altercation, and that bail was necessary due to his line of employment.
“He requires bail so he can run his business - he is a builder,” he said
“Refusing bail wouldn’t just have an effect on him, but people’s homes who are currently being built.”
Despite offering a $5000 bail surety, Magistrate Stoddart refused the application for release, prompting Kent to break down in tears.
“These are very serious allegations and if he’s convicted it seems to me the likely result will be a custodial sentence,” Magistrate Stoddart said.
The matter will return to court later this month.