A former football coach who bit a chunk out of his then girlfriend’s ear leaving her “permanently disfigured” has been jailed for two years.

Richard Ellis, 34, was said to have been in a “volatile” on-off relationship with Susan Hindle when she spent the night at his flat on St Hilda’s Terrace, Thornbury, Bradford, on February 12.

Prosecutor Ken Green told Bradford Crown Court that at around 7am the following morning, Ellis became angry when Miss Hindle rejected his sexual advances.

He then slapped her in the face, before dragging her to the floor by her hair. Mr Green said Ellis then stamped on her head before pulling her to the ground for a second time.

After she scratched him during the struggle, the court heard that Ellis bit Miss Hindle’s right ear, causing it to “bleed profusely”, before telling her “look what you made me do.”

Miss Hindle went home before reporting the incident to police, who took her to Bradford Royal Infirmary where doctors found a 3cm piece of skin missing from her ear.

Ellis was arrested and while he admitted the pair had fought that morning, he denied making sexual advances to Miss Hindle and said he bit her ear after she had got him in a headlock in which he couldn’t breathe.

Mr Green then said that in May, while he was on bail, Ellis went to the bookies in Bradford city centre where Miss Hindle worked, swearing at her and warning “if you turn up at court, you’re dead.”

Ben Campbell, mitigating for Ellis, who the court heard had 33 convictions for 56 offences, said police had been called by both parties at times during their “volatile” relationship.

He said Ellis had reduced his offending in recent years and had worked as a football coach in West Bowling for the past three years after gaining a diploma in sport from Bradford College.

He said: “It is a tragedy that this short episode in his life has undone a great deal of the good work he had been completing.”

Ellis had pleaded guilty to Section 20 wounding and intimidating a witness prior to yesterday’s hearing.

The Recorder of Bradford, Judge Jonathan Durham Hall QC, said a probation report had found Ellis to be someone who showed “no empathy or remorse”, and a man who used “aggression as a means to manipulate people.”

He told Ellis: “The bit of the ear was found by police but sadly could not be reattached.

“That has led to a great amount of distress and sadly, permanent disfigurement.”