Halifax man chopped off part of his own ear and used it to scrawl message in blood on wall

When Samuel Hemingway’s ex returned to her home, she found the severed piece of ear on her dressing table, but Bradford Crown Court heard that the 24-year-old denied he had left it in her bedroom.

Prosecutor Nicola Hoskins said the incident last November left the woman feeling scared, numb and petrified.

When Hemingway was later arrested from his home, officers saw his right ear was covered in blood and the top part had been cut off.

Hemingway told them: "All I’ve done is write that blood on the wall.”

Miss Hoskins said the officers found a pair of blood-stained scissors and items of clothing with blood stains on them.

Hemingway, of Seed Hill Terrace, Mixenden, admitted he had been drinking and taking cocaine and said it made him “lose his head”.

The court heard that Hemingway had seen his former partner out in Halifax town centre the night before and when he got home he was contemplating suicide.

After cutting off part of his ear, he had gone to the building where the woman lived and used the piece of his ear to write on the hallway wall.

Hemingway said he couldn’t explain how the severed piece of ear ended up in the bedroom.

The court heard that after the couple’s relationship broke down Hemingway sent the complainant messages in which he threatened to break her legs and he waited for her to get off the bus on her way home from work before confronting her with a hammer inside his jacket.

On two occasions, Hemingway slapped his victim across the face and he also snatched her mobile phone from her.

Miss Hoskins described how late one night the victim could hear a scratching noise outside her flat and police later found a large knife on the doormat which had been used to scrawl “you are dead tick tock” on the wall.

Hemingway was arrested after that incident but was released on bail with conditions not to contact the complainant or go to her home.

A few weeks later, he was arrested again and remanded into custody after the incident involving his severed ear.

Hemingway, who was given a suspended prison sentence back in 2018 for possession of an imitation firearm with intent, pleaded guilty at the first opportunity to a series of offences including stalking, common assault, criminal damage, robbery and possession of an offensive weapon.

Judge Jonathan Gibson today jailed him and imposed a five-year restraining order which bans Hemingway from contact his victim.

Barrister Taryn Turner said her client had found the break up of the relationship very difficult to cope with.

She suggested that Hemingway may have had some residual or underlying mental health issues and his behaviour had been extreme.

“He is remorseful and he is ashamed of what he has done,” said Mrs Turner.