A teenager was left scarred for life after her former friend attacked her in a nightclub, biting her face so hard part of her cheek was left hanging off.
Kyra Strachan was at a nightclub in Dundee, Scotland, with a group of friends in February when Danielle Gaffar allegedly approached her from behind and attacked her.
A court heard the two teenagers, who were both 18 at the time of the assault, used to be friends but had recently fallen out over Gaffar’s ex-boyfriend, who had since started going out with Kyra, the Daily Record reports.
Prosecutor Kirsten Letford told Dundee Sheriff Court Kyra was in a relationship with a man who was ‘formerly the partner of the accused’.
Letford said Kyra had been dancing inside Aura nightclub when she was attacked from behind and pulled to the ground, before her head was smashed into the ground several times.
The court heard how, although the victim initially said she had no idea who had attacked her and was completely blindsided by the assault, she realised it was Gaffar when she got her bearings.
The prosecutor told the court that while Kyra’s friends attempted to intervene, Gaffar put her arm around the victim’s throat and restricted her breathing. ‘The accused then bit her on the right cheek,’ Mrs Letford added.
When staff members within the club realised what was happening, they kicked Gaffar out of the establishment before calling the police. They then called an ambulance once officers realised the extent of Kyra’s injuries, and she was rushed to a local hospital.
The teenager needed eight stitches to repair the damage to her face, although doctors said the injury would leave permanent scarring. Letford described the bite as ‘a significant wound’.
Kyra also suffered bruising to her face and forehead as a result of the attack, with images shared on social media at the time showing the graphic nature of the teenager’s injuries.
Gaffar, now 19, pleaded guilty to assaulting Kyra and to causing her severe injury and permanent disfigurement, and is facing a jail sentence.
Sheriff Tom Hughes told the teenager it was a ‘very serious matter’, which due to her age meant he was required to call for a social work criminal justice report and a restriction of liberty order assessment.
The 19-year-old will be sentenced on October 31.
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A Broadcast Journalism Masters graduate who went on to achieve an NCTJ level 3 Diploma in Journalism, Lucy has done stints at ITV, BBC Inside Out and Key 103. While working as a journalist for UNILAD, Lucy has reported on breaking news stories while also writing features about mental health, cervical screening awareness, and Little Mix (who she is unapologetically obsessed with).