Newcastle woman bit off mother-of-four's fingertip and posted Snapchat photos of it in her mouth
A woman who bit off a mother's fingertip after a nightclub toilet fight and posed for pictures with it in her mouth has been jailed.
Libby Armstrong had an altercation with another woman in the toilets of Wallsend nightclub Manhattans in September 2022.
Newcastle Crown Court heard how Armstrong posted images of herself with the fingertip in her mouth on Snapchat, with other users adding captions.
The incident unfolded as the victim waited in the toilets for her friend when the 22-year-old lunged at her, pulled her hair, and dragged her to the ground.
Another clubber alerted door staff and both women were asked to leave.
Outside the venue, the pair fought again and ended up on the ground.
Newcastle Crown Court heard how Armstrong clamped her teeth down on the mother-of-four's ring finger and bit off the full tip as she screamed for her to stop.
When Armstrong, of Shearwater Close, Westerhope, was arrested, she lied about the location of the fingertip - saying it was left at the scene.
She has nine previous convictions, including for assaulting an emergency worker and biting a police officer on the leg, and pleaded guilty to wounding with intent.
She was jailed for four years plus 12 weeks for breaching a previous suspended sentence.
In a victim impact statement, the woman said she had been left depressed as a result of the attack, and has ongoing issues with her hand.
She said: "It hurts from the slightest touch, even when I run my fingers through my hair. I no longer have a strong grip and if anything touches my finger I drop the item.
"If I ever get married the ring would go on the finger and be a constant reminder."
Recorder David Brooke KC told her: "What's most disturbing about the attack, that being bad enough, is in the moments after that you then posed or took pictures which ended up on social media, effectively showing off about it with the tip of the finger in your mouth.
"That's a concerning feature of this offence."
Matthew Purves, mitigating, said: "She would apologise for what was dreadful behaviour and also the lasting consequences of her actions on the victim. She expresses genuine remorse and apologises for the behaviour and consequences.
"It goes well beyond self-defence. On the ground, the defendant explains a moment occurred where the complainant's hand is near her face and she bites down on the finger. At this stage a number of door supervisors intervene and pull the two participants apart.
"What followed is a quite grotesque set of photographs being taken of the fingertip in her mouth. There's no explanation for that.
"The Snapchat video lasted four seconds. It's then shared and other individuals capture it on their phones and input captions on it."
Mr Purves added that Armstrong had a troubled upbringing and ended up in foster care.
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