A MAN accused of severing another man's ear in a nightclub has told the jury how he bit out when he himself was attacked.

Swindon Crown Court heard how James Gibson told police he was beaten at Eros, in Shaw Ridge, and remembered biting something in the fracas.

Gibson, 34, of Newark Close, Freshbrook, pleads guilty to causing grievous bodily harm to Mark Traynor on June 30.

But he denies he intended to cause the injuries.

Prosecuting, Julian Howells said Gibson told police he was advised by an Eros doorman that Mr Traynor was upset with him and he was worried about why.

"I went to put my arm around him," Gibson told police. "I think my arm was on his shoulder. That's when I received a headbutt. I asked 'why are you upset', then boom. I was quite stunned by that."

Gibson claimed Mr Traynor punched him in the face four or five times and he couldn't get him off.

"All I can remember is being dazed and confused," he told police. "I think I did bite him. I didn't know it was his ear. I can remember biting him, I couldn't get him off me. All I can remember doing is biting him. I didn't realise it was his ear."

Gibson told the court he was unaware Mr Traynor's ear had become detached. The court heard that Gibson realised he had a broken nose when police interviewed him.

He said: "I feel pretty terrible about it. A lot of it is a blur from that moment."

He couldn't recall kicking Mr Traynor in the head but accepted he must have done.

He added: "I feel pretty awful about things. I feel really bad about what happened. I didn't intend to cause Mr Traynor really serious harm. I felt rage, angry about being hit. All I wanted to do was talk to him and sort out what the problem was. Now I would say to him I am sorry."

Jacqueline Hunt, a police communications officer and special constable, said that she saw a man kicking another man on the floor of the nightclub and described how she dragged the kicking man away.

Describing the standing man, she told the court: "He had quite a lot of blood on his face, around his mouth and chin area. I got hold of the guy until the other gentleman got up and staggered towards the entrance direction."

The court heard that Mr Traynor told Dr Adrian Peel he had had a large quantity of alcohol, speed or ecstacy before the incident.

Gibson admitted drinking nine pints and five double Jack Daniels that day.

A third of Mr Traynor's left ear was severed in the attack, the court heard.

Hospitalised for two weeks, he needed 25 stitches to his ear, two stitches to his bottom lip, lost two teeth, had one tooth chipped, and one tooth pushed into his root canal.

He told the court it was Gibson who attacked him after being told to avoid him.