Northies bite attack: pictures of victim’s wound revealed

WARNING, GRAPHIC: Images have been released of the “horrendous wound” caused when a Sydney make-up artist bit another woman on the face during a dance floor argument at a Sutherland Shire pub last year.

Exclusive images have emerged of the “horrendous wound” caused when Chelsea Hall (pictured) bit a woman on the face at a Sydney pub last year.

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WARNING: GRAPHIC IMAGES

Images have been released of the “horrendous wound” caused when a Sydney make-up artist bit another woman on the face during a dance floor argument at a Sutherland Shire pub last year.

The St George Shire Standard/Daily Telegraph can exclusively reveal images of the 3cm laceration caused when Chelsea Hall, 28, attacked another woman at Northies on September 28 last year.

Images of the 3cm laceration caused when Hall bit the victim’s cheek.

Hall at Sutherland Local Court. Picture: John Grainger

Nationwide News successfully contested a police application to suppress the images after Hall was sentenced on May 11 by Magistrate Peter Bugden at Sutherland Local Court to an eight-month jail term to be served in the community.

“Embarrassment is not a sufficient reason for the (suppression) application brought by the police prosecutor,” Mr Bugden said when he delivered his judgment via audiovisual link at Sutherland Local Court on Monday.

“All of that notwithstanding, Nationwide News is not to name the victim and any picture must be cropped enough to not identify the victim in any way.”

Hall was sentenced to an eight-month intensive corrections order. Picture: Supplied

Barrister Matthew Lewis acted for Nationwide News in the application for access and argued embarrassment was not a factor that should obstruct press freedom.

Hall’s Legal Aid solicitor Nicholas Breen, who also supported the suppression application, told the court on Thursday Hall had felt bullied before she pushed the victim on the dance floor.

The pair then wound up face-to-face in a physical struggle and Hall’s hair extensions were ripped from her head before she bit the victim on the cheek.

Hall at Northies on the night of the attack. Picture: Supplied

“Admittedly this is a matter where (Hall’s) judgment was clouded by the amount of alcohol she had,” Mr Breen told the court.

However, Mr Bugden said Hall had been the “architect of her own doom” before describing the attack as “animalistic”.

“This court doesn’t see assaults by way of biting very often,” Mr Bugden told the court.

“In the 1950s a very regular series of people came before the court for biting – thugs used to bite other thugs on the ear – but it has died out.”

Mr Bugden said he did not give much weight to Hall’s name being “plastered” in Sydney media as a result of the incident when he made his decision on sentencing.