After heavy drinking and smoking cannabis, Joanne Housecroft, 29, bit Kylie Gates' lip so hard she now has a scar and suffers from embarrassing dribbling.

Housecroft, of Sewerby Road, had just patched up her friendship with Gates, after a row over an attack involving a pair of scissors.

At Hull Crown Court on Monday, Recorder Timothy Hirst told her: "Everyone knows that a person's lips are extremely sensitive and to have bitten someone inflicting the kind of wound you did on Kylie Gates must have been extremely painful.

"It clearly produced a large amount of blood, indeed you were splattered with it.

"I am disturbed by the fact that psychologically she has been left very low by the injuries to her face.

"In circumstances of biting it is so serious only a custodial sentence can be justified."

He said he hoped he was not making a mistake in suspending the sentence, as she had once bitten a police officer, and he had also taken into account Housecroft had received a bite mark to her back.

"This seems something of a cat and dog fight in which you were both at close quarters.

"There was pushing, punching and biting. It was not edifying at all," said Recorder Hirst.

Housecroft, who had said she could not remember much about the fight which happened on November 25 last year, had pleaded guilty to a charge of wounding and appeared in court on Monday for sentencing.

Crown barrister David Cammies said it indicated although cosmetically, the lip was approaching some normality there was a loss of sensitivity and she had some difficulty controlling saliva.

Mr Cammies said Housecroft had a conviction for attempting to rob an elderly lady with a knife and had assaulted a police officer in a different biting and kicking incident.

Defence barrister Robert Stevenson said it was five-and-a-half -years since Housecroft's last conviction and her priority was now her son aged eight.

He also told the court if Housecroft was imprisoned there was a concern about suicide and self harm and fears of how she would cope.

Housecroft was given a 40-week suspended sentence a community order with supervision for two years.

She must also complete a 30-day activity programme to help with her education.

She was also given a four-week concurrent sentence for possession of cannabis which police found on her when she was arrested.

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