Melbourne grandma bites off friend’s finger in drunken catfight
A Melbourne grandmother bit off the tip of her friend’s finger in a shocking act of violence after a fight erupted between the women.
A Melbourne grandmother bit off part of her friend’s finger in a drunken catfight between the pair.
Mansis Bandi had been drinking wine and whiskey with the victim at a farm in Cranbourne when they started fighting in October 2017.
She bit the tip off her friend Augusta Aitum’s left ring finger when they fell to the ground and were punching and scratching at each other.
The now 50-year-old grandmother pleaded guilty to recklessly causing serious injury and was ordered to be of good behaviour for three years in the County Court of Victoria on Wednesday.
After the fight Bandi complained to police about her victim and told them she had been assaulted.
Both women had injuries after the fight, with Bandi treated for scratches, bruising, and a bite mark on her own hand that required a three-night hospital stay.
“Look I don’t feel good, I feel bad that I have caused that much injury,” Bandi told officers after the incident.
“But it happened and I can’t change that, I’m sorry it happened.”
The victim had to have more of her finger amputated in hospital.
“The biting of the finger I’ll agree to it, I’m sorry, I caused it, but that was in my defence to get away,” Bandi said to investigators to explain why she did it.
The women were both from Papua New Guinea and used to call each other “sister” before they fell out over the man Bandi was seeing.
Her lawyer previously said it was “excessive self-defence” and the victim had started the fight.
The judge took into account Bandi’s remorse and that it was a dynamic and fluid struggle between two intoxicated people.
“You did not provoke this incident. You were acting in what you believed was self defence,” Judge George Georgiou said.
“You, of course, overstepped the mark as to what might be considered a reasonable response,” he said.
The judge said Bandi was not looking for a fight and was simply in the car when the victim aggressively approached her.
He also accepted Bandi was not the instigator but said the offence was serious.
The judge took into account Bandi had a strong family network, worked at a farm as a packer, cared for her grandchild and contributed to the PNG community since coming to Victoria in 2003.
Bandi was convicted and also ordered to pay $300 to charity.