Love rival broke into Leeds man's home and bit him and stabbed him in his own bed

Leeds Crown Court heard that the friendship between Marc Bott and the victim had turned sour after Bott had begun a relationship with his man’s girlfriend. And after the man had allegedly called Bott a ‘n**ce’, he decided to got to his home on Mowbray Court, Seacroft, in the early hours of August 27 last year to confront him.

The 46-year-old, who was intoxicated, smashed a rear-door window to gain access, then went up to the man’s room and began attacking him in his bed. He landed blows to his face and got him in a headlock, prosecutor Jemima Stephenson said.

He bit his ear and then smashed a TV and the mirror, stabbing the man in the leg with the shard. He was shouting at him: “I’m not a n**ce”. The man, who suffered cuts, called the police and Bott was later arrested.

Bott, of Nowell Place, Harehills, initially told officers that he was acting in self defence after the man attacked him. Appearing in court from HMP Leeds, where he was being held on remand, he admitted a charge of burglary with attempted grievous bodily harm.

A victim impact statement said the man now felt vulnerable, does not feel safe in his own home and is afraid to go out unless he is accompanied.

Bott has 48 previous convictions for 99 offences, the majority for theft.

Mitigating, Shila Whitehead said he was now clean from drugs and wanted to become a law-abiding member of the community. Although he admitted the offence, she conceded it was late guilty plea, but it meant the victim did not have to give evidence in court during a trial.

She said he has been held in custody for around 12 months, but now has a motivation to look after his family when he is released.

Jailing him for three years, Judge Rodney Jameson told him: “I do not think I can impose a non-custodial alternative. What you did was simply too serious.”

He also gave him a five-year restraining order to keep him away from the victim.