A woman cut off part of her own ear with a kitchen knife after being savagely attacked by a Fife mum-of-four, a court has heard.
Attacker Samantha Ellis repeatedly punched and kicked Molly Stevenson and struck her head on concrete “many times” during the shocking incident at Glenrothes Bus Station on Hogmanay.
Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court heard the victim was left with part of her ear hanging off.
She later removed it herself with a blade after leaving A&E.
Ellis, 31, appeared in the dock to plead guilty to a charge of assault to severe injury and permanent disfigurement and will return to court next month to be sentenced.
Procurator fiscal depute Jamie Hilland said the bus station incident was captured on CCTV and happened just before 9pm on December 31 2021.
The court heard that Ellis and her victim were not known to each other.
‘Sustained attack’
Mr Hilland said Ms Stevenson was on a night out in Glenrothes and had consumed a “considerable” amount of alcohol before arriving at the town’s bus station.
A cleaner there saw Ellis walking over to Ms Stevenson as she sat in the area of stance five.
The fiscal depute said Ms Stevenson then appeared to throw a punch at Ellis before they became tangled and fell to the ground.
He said: “The accused is on top of Ms Stevenson and carries out a sustained attack, punching her to the face and head and takes hold of her head and bangs it off the concrete many times.”
Other people at the bus station then pulled Ellis off her victim, who staggered off across the concourse.
The fiscal depute said Ellis pushed Ms Stevenson to the ground and kicked her to the head and body.
A man who was parked nearby in a taxi approached the scene and Ellis walked away in the opposite direction.
He contacted police and stayed with the victim until they arrived.
The fiscal depute said this witness saw a large laceration to the woman’s ear and that a section of it was “hanging off” and “bleeding heavily”.
Cut off part of own ear
The court heard police took Ms Stevenson to Kirkcaldy’s Victoria Hospital due to lengthy ambulance waiting times.
A detective constable made contact with her on January 2 to take a statement.
The fiscal depute said the detective noted the top part of her ear was missing.
She had apparently left hospital due to long waiting times and returned home.
Mr Hilland added: “Ms Stevenson suffered a large laceration to the top of her left ear which led to a portion hanging off and hanging on by cartilage.
“She removed part of her ear with a kitchen knife.”
Ms Stevenson later phoned her GP who advised her to keep the injury clean but due to it scabbing over there was not much more medically that could be done.
She also suffered bruising to the face and swelling to areas of her head.
Sentence deferred
Ellis, of Achmuty Drive in Glenrothes, admitted seizing Ms Stevenson by the hair and repeatedly punching her on the head, repeatedly striking her head on the ground and kicking her on the head and body a number of times.
Defence lawyer Lynn Herbert said Ellis was a mother of four and had been on bail since her petition court appearance in February.
Sheriff Alastair Brown adjourned sentencing until December 12 for the production of background reports.
