Third-year loses ear in Metro attack

A Newcastle student has had part of his ear bitten off in vicious assault on Metro defending elderly woman

A third-year student had part of his ear bitten off last week in an attack on the Metro.

William Conway, 20, who currently studies Sociology at Newcastle, intervened when a man and two women were being abusive to an elderly female passenger on the train between Jesmond and Haymarket stations.

The incident took place on Friday 10 February at around 4pm. The offender is still yet to be identified.

“The Metro train will have been very busy at the time,” said Detective Constable Dave Croskery in relation to the event.

“This was a vicious assault on a man who was trying to help another passenger.”

Talking about his experience exclusively to The Courier, Conway said: “I noticed two girls and a boy get on a bit further down the carriage from me. An old woman sat down in the seat next to them and the lad started shouting: “I want to put my feet up!” The girls were shouting to the old woman too.”

When the abuse continued Conway decided he had to intervene and began shouting towards the individuals in the carriage, trying to calm the situation down.

“You can’t really blame people for not stepping in. The only reason I did is because I thought if that was my grandma getting shouted at I’d be so angry”.

Following this, the women accompanying the offender approached the 20-year-old and began verbally attacking him. Trying to ignore their actions, they soon become very threatening, leading Conway to feel they were about to target both him and his girlfriend, who he was travelling with.

“They moved back down the carriage to the lad and pointed me out to him. He came over and slapped me around the face, so I stood up to defend myself. He grabbed hold of me and I’ve got him up against the metro door.
“Basically my head must have been near his mouth so he just latched onto my ear. I tried to punch him in the side of the head to get him off me, but he just wouldn’t let go.

“I couldn’t have pulled my head away, I would have lost the whole of my ear. I just had to let him hang on until he let go, because I wasn’t able to move my head.

“When the metro doors opened he fell backwards out and then ran away.”
After the attack, Conway found Metro staff and asked them to ring for an ambulance and the police. It wasn’t until a Paramedic informed him en route to hospital that he was aware a piece of his ear was missing.

Due to the extent of blood from the wound, Conway had to return to hospital the next day to see a plastic surgeon concerning his injury. However, fortunately he was informed the wound would heal by itself, but has since had to have various blood tests and several injections to counter any disease or infection.

His head is now bandaged and he is continuing as usual university life.
The offender, who is yet to be discovered, is described as white, in his twenties, around 5ft 9ins tall and of medium build. He was wearing a black Berghaus style jacket, black hat, black scarf and black bottoms.

Northumbria Police are still appealing for witnesses to the attack.