Casualty's Clive Mantle has ear bitten off in hotel attack

Former Casualty actor Clive Mantle had a large part of his ear bitten off after confronting two loud drunks outside his hotel room.

The actor had been staying at the Quayside Travelodge in Newcastle last March while working in the area when the incident occurred.

Newcastle Crown Court heard that Mr Mantle was woken up at 4.30am by Philip McGilvray, 33, and Alan French, 32, shouting in the corridor outside his hotel room.

The actor had asked the men twice to be quiet. He was on his way to the reception to complain when he was dragged to the floor and part of his ear was torn off.

According to The Sun, Mr Mantle told the court: "The next thing I was aware of was a pain in my left ear, which triggered an amazing response in me.

"You cannot believe someone has actually bitten your ear. I said 'you are biting my f***ing ear.'"

He tried to detain the pair, but they managed to run off. Mr Mantle told the court how a nurse in a nearby room, Alice Klenk, came to his aid.

He added: "I can remember my blood on the fire door. We were swerving all over the place until this lady calmed me down and said 'let them go, let's get back to your room, I'm a nurse'. I had my ear in my left hand, she put it in a glass of water to preserve it so it could be reattached.

"She found a plastic cup in the bathroom, she put water in it and my ear in it. I owe an awful lot to that lady."

According to the Daily Telegraph, Jolyon Perks, prosecuting, said: "Both men threw a flurry of drunken punches, some landed, some didn't.

"Ultimately, it ended with him being dragged on the ground face down."

Mr Perks said the row had "culminated with a substantial part of his ear being bitten off" by Mr McGilvray.

The defendants had been visiting Newcastle from their home in Hamilton, Scotland, and had enjoyed a night out drinking with friends.

The court heard how they had tried to get a room at a Premier Inn after the incident, with no luck, and were arrested when they arrived back at the Travelodge.

The court heard that Mr McGilvray will argue self-defence, while Mr French said he merely tried to pull the two apart.

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