Newcastle Crown Court was told that Lee Varty, 24, chewed off Ryan Wilkinson's ear during an incident last December.

Varty, who has a previous conviction for assault, had been out drinking in a group including his brother, Paul Varty, 22, and the victim before returning to Mr Wilkinson's house.

After Mr Wilkinson had gone to bed, his girlfriend, her sister and a friend of theirs turned up at the house, all dressed as Santa Claus.

Trouble broke out, and the Varty brothers, from Laybourn Gardens, South Shields, left the house, but returned minutes later, to ask a friend still there if he wanted to share a taxi home.

By this time, the court heard, Mr Wilkinson had come downstairs and a fight broke out, during which Lee Varty bit Mr Wilkinson's ear.

Judge Guy Whitburn said: "It was at this point that a considerable amount of mayhem went on. You bit off part of Ryan's ear, who reacted by wielding an iron bar. This was a large-scale public disturbance."

The two brothers were arrested and charged.

The court had earlier heard how Mr Wilkinson was "embarrassed and upset" about his injury, which surgeons hadn't managed to repair, leaving him permanently disfigured. He went into hiding from family and friends for a time because of the way his severed ear looked.

Lee Varty claimed he'd bitten Mr Wilkinson in retaliation to being bitten himself, but both prosecutors and defence representatives said it was "impossible" to prove in which order bites happened.

Sentencing Varty to 15 months' prison after he admitted unlawful wounding, and wounding with intent, Judge Whitburn said: "Any offence of this nature, which results in permanent injury, must be dealt with by a custodial sentence.

"Presumably, at the end of this incident there were a few battered Santas. I'm just wondering what state the elves were left in."

His brother, Paul, was given 200 hours' unpaid work and a curfew between 10pm-5am, after he admitted affray and wounding with intent.

Judge Whitburn added: "This was extremely serious affray."