A man has been sentenced to nine years behind bars over a homophobic attack in which he bit off his neighbour’s ear.
21-year-old Ryan Kilgariff carried out the attack on Folkestone man Colin Duncan, his neighbour, on March 9.
In the horrific attack, Mr Duncan was kicked and punched, had his ear bitten off, and was beaten with a glass bottle.
Mr Duncan was left needing 20 stitches after the attack, while surgeons needed to reattach his ear.
According to Kent Online, prosecutors said: “Throughout the attack Kilgariff referred to his victim as being ‘queer’ and gay.
“Mr Duncan is gay but he had no idea that Kilgariff was homophobic.”
Kilgariff was sentenced to a prison term of 9 years, with an extended period of 3 years on licence.
Mr Duncan told police: “All I was trying to do was be kind and neighbourly to a man who had just been released from prison. I thought I was going to be murdered.”
Detective Sergeant Cara Ferguson said: “This was a particularly violent attack that has had a significant effect on the victim.
“It was treated as a hate crime and the significant sentence received by Kilgariff reflects the seriousness with which the court regarded his conduct.
“Kent Police remains committed to stamping out all crime motivated by hate and prejudice.
“Our message is simple; have the trust and confidence to report hate crimes and incidents to the police.”
