Girl, 19, had her face ‘bitten off’ by stranger on bus in front of passengers

A teenage miss needed 50 stitches aft a alien ‘bit her look off’ connected the bus.

Ella Dowling, 19, was connected her mode location erstwhile chap passenger, Darren Taylor, 53, started to marque inappropriate comments astir her and her friends.

Taylor past grabbed Ella’s look and repeatedly spot her chemoreceptor and mouth, with the horrific onslaught lasting for astir 5 minutes.

Ella and her friends managed to get distant from Taylor who was subsequently detained by members of the nationalist until the constabulary arrived.

He was arrested for causing grievous bodily harm with intent.

Part of Ella’s articulator and her near nostril were severely injured, and the close broadside of her articulator was divided open.

Ella was initially treated astatine Cheltenham Hospital earlier being transferred to Gloucester Hospital for exigency surgery.

In March 2024, Taylor pleaded blameworthy to GBH with intent astatine Gloucester Crown Court and was sentenced connected 18 July.

He was jailed for six-years and nine-months, and was handed a lifelong restraining order.

Ella, a societal enactment pupil astatine Portsmouth University from Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, said: ‘The symptom I felt erstwhile helium sank his teeth into my look is thing which volition enactment with maine forever. He was similar a canine with a artifact – moving his caput broadside to side.’

‘I enactment my hands astir the backmost of his caput due to the fact that I knew if I didn’t helium would rip my articulator and chemoreceptor disconnected completely. When I saw my look for the archetypal clip aft the attack, I didn’t recognise my ain reflection, and I couldn’t look successful the reflector for months aft that.

‘I haven’t utilized the autobus since due to the fact that of my PTSD. If I permission the house, I person to beryllium connected the telephone with my mum oregon a person due to the fact that I’m terrified that I’m going to beryllium attacked again. Eating and drinking tin inactive beryllium achy if I devour connected a definite side.

She added: ‘People accidental my scar is healing good but for me, it’s much than a scar, it’s a disfigurement and a imperishable reminder of what’s happened to me. I grin and talk otherwise which is thing I’m going to person to larn to unrecorded with for the remainder of my life.’

It is said that Taylor had been intoxicated, and helium started making lewd remarks astir Ella’s appearance.

As the autobus came to its past stop, Taylor attacked the teenager, biting her rima and chemoreceptor leaving her near nostril to her little articulator hanging off.

She said: ‘I couldn’t shriek due to the fact that helium had my articulator successful his mouth, it was disgusting. I noticed him erstwhile we got connected the bus, helium was unusual and kept asking “are you girls disconnected out?”

‘When we told him to permission america alone, helium started calling america “white trash” and saying that helium was a “gangster”. It took my friends a fewer seconds to realise what helium was doing and past they started screaming astatine him to get disconnected me.

‘The symptom was horrific and I could consciousness his full assemblage shaking – erstwhile I looked down astatine my apparel aft they were covered successful blood.”

Taylor told the constabulary that helium ‘was not a good man’, and that ‘he indispensable person mislaid power and cannot spell astir hurting people.’

He besides said that helium was remorseful.

Ella has undergone a two-and-a-half-hour reconstructive NHS procedure.

Doctors person warned her she whitethorn beryllium scarred for beingness – owed to the severity of her injuries.

Detective Constable Sophie McGough commented: ‘The injuries Taylor caused were immoderate of the worst I person ever seen. His actions that evening were dreadful, and I americium relieved that helium volition present service clip down bars.’

Gloucestershire Police person present confirmed that Taylor has lodged an entreaty against his sentence, which Ella perceives arsenic yet different setback.

Ella said: ‘While I’m pleased he’s been sentenced, there’s nary mode helium couldn’t be, it was each captured connected CCTV.

‘I had to postpone assemblage for a twelvemonth and determination backmost location due to the fact that of the attack. I inactive don’t recognize wherefore helium did it to this day.

‘I’ve started assemblage again this twelvemonth and I’m hopeful that I’ll beryllium capable to continue. I garbage to beryllium defined by this due to the fact that I’m not a victim, I’m a survivor.

‘I privation to get backmost to the bubbly and outgoing idiosyncratic I utilized to beryllium but it’s going to instrumentality time.’

Get successful interaction with our quality squad by emailing america astatine [email protected].

For much stories similar this, check our quality page.

MORE : Detective caught dealing drugs aft dropping cocaine extracurricular daughter’s school

MORE : Inmate’s past repast aft asking for lethal injection for sidesplitting large pistillate and 4 others

MORE : Man blameworthy of raping and sidesplitting NHS idiosyncratic who was passed retired connected a parkland bench

This tract is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.