A MAN was bitten on the shoulder after he tried to stop a thief from stealing his car from his driveway, a court heard.

Daniel James punched and bit the man after he caught him in the back of his car and chased him to stop him from getting away.

The 33-year-old of no fixed address appeared at Bournemouth Crown Court charges with three counts of causing grievous bodily harm, two counts of causing actual bodily harm and one count of attempted theft.

At around 6pm on November 23, 2022, the victim was alerted to someone on his driveway by his dog barking where he found James in the back of his car.

When he asked the defendant what he was doing, James pushed the man causing him to fall on to wife’s car.

Prosecuting, Stuart Ellacott, told the court that the defendant tried to run away and when the man chased him he punched him in the face.

However, the victim pursued and managed to hold James where he apologised and said he would pay for the damage.

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But when the man insisted he was calling the police, the defendant continued to struggle causing the victim to fall back and hit his head on the floor.

James then bit the man on the shoulder and punched him in the jaw, however,  a neighbour came out and helped the victim detain James until the police arrived.

Following the incident, the victim had to attend hospital for a broken right hand, abrasions to his knees, elbows, neck and head as well as the bite marks on his back.

The man, who works in IT for a school, said the injuries took several weeks to heal and he was unable to drive, run the school’s archery club or hold his 18-month-old grandchild.

Mitigating, Mark Florida-James, told the court that the defendant’s mother said her son has had issues from a young age but was improving since taking his medication in custody.

Mr Florida-James added that James ‘knows what to expect and that he fully deserves it’ but is hopeful for the future.

Her Honour Judge Susan Evans KC said that the victim acted ‘extremely courageously’ when he attempted to grab James, ‘perfectly lawfully’.

She added that biting the man on the shoulder was a ‘particularly unpleasant’ form of assault.

James was jailed for 45 months for the attack, as well as unrelated offences against a woman and her children.