A THUG has been jailed for six years after biting off part of a man’s ear off during a shocking attack – and telling him it tasted nice.

Hashim Shariff was punched, kicked and stamped on before having part of his ear bitten off by Sean Murphy, 25, of Ardleigh, Basildon, in a fight in Southend High Street last year.

Murphy and three other Basildon men, David Kemshall, 22, of Stagden Cross, Kurt Palmer, 27, of Luncies Road, and Levi Swift, 27, of St Mary’s Crescent, along with Jason Walker, 19, and Aron Sturrock-McMoore, 23, both of Rylands Hostel, in Wickford High Street, appeared before Basildon Crown Court after pleading guilty to grievous bodily harm.

Judge Samantha Leigh said the gang behaved like a “pack of animals” with the court told Murphy said “this tastes nice” to Mr Shariff as he chewed his ear.

Sentencing the men, judge Leigh: “It’s clear you were all drunk, whether intoxicated or drugs it doesn’t matter, but from what I’ve seen you all acted like a pack of animals.

“It’s clear Swift was separate from the group and the rest of you are called to the scene. There is then a fight, I say fight in the loosest sense of the word as that normally means someone else being able to stand up and throw punches back.

“Mr Shariff, for no reason, was grabbed from behind with arms around his neck. It was a group action. He was dragged to the ground and lain face up, completely and utterly vulnerable when kicks and punches came in. He was quite completely held down.

“You, Murphy, then started biting and chewing on his ear and at one point made the comment to him “it tastes nice”. That is beyond belief.

He was, as anybody would understand, in extreme pain kicking and trying to get himself free.

“It’s really quite imaginable that he would have thought he wasn’t going to get out of there alive.” Mr Shariff was given antibiotics, but did not undergo surgery for his injuries.

Murphy was jailed for six years for the attack and a burglary committed on September 27 last year while he was on bail. He will serve half his sentence before being released on licence.

Palmer received an 18 month sentence, suspended for two years, as well as 100 hours of community service and a supervision order.

The others were handed two year sentences, suspended for two years, and 200 hours of community service.

Judge Leigh banned all, except Murphy, from entering pubs, clubs or licensed premises during their sentences, issued overnight curfews and ordered them to each pay £400 in costs and compensation.

Sturrock-McMoore was also sentenced to one month, to run concurrently, for possessing cannabis.