A student had part of his bottom lip bitten off after he got involved in a fight at Essex University, a court heard.

Matthew Boyle ran from the scene with blood pouring from his mouth but a court heard he did not realise how bad the injury was.

It was only when he saw a look of horror on a girl's face that he knew it was serious.

The bitten-off part of his lip was found by a security guard at the university but a jury at Chelmsford Crown Court heard yesterday how surgeons were unable to sew it back on.

Mr Boyle's lip has now been reconstructed and he is left with a scar.

The prosecution has alleged Matthew Anderson, 20, of Azelea Court, Greenstead, Colchester, was responsible for the attack. He denies a charge of wounding Mr Boyle with intent last February 2.

The trial heard Mr Boyle went to the aid of a friend who got involved in a row with Anderson in the early hours of the morning.

At the time, students were milling about outside the university's Underground Club, which had been cleared after a fire alarm went off.

Mr Boyle told the jury he started struggling with Anderson and the two of them ended up on the ground.

He described what happened next: "I remember trying to get up from under him and the next thing when I got up, there was a girl looking at me and she screamed 'Oh my God.'

"My face just felt numb. It felt like I had been to the dentists but I did not know what the injury was but it must have been horrible by the way the girl screamed.

"I could feel blood and all I could feel was my gum. I felt like a freak and just ran."

He later discovered a small v-shaped piece of his bottom lip had been bitten off. It was found but could not be replaced, the court heard.

Published Thursday, January 16, 2003

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