Wedding Usher, Who Was ‘Behaving Like a Wild Animal,’ Sentenced to 5 Years in Prison After Biting Off Groom’s Uncle’s Finger

A man in the U.K. has been sentenced to five years in prison after biting off the finger of another guest at his best friend’s wedding.

Judge Ian Pringle KC handed down the sentence to 33-year-old Daniel Peasnell, who was found guilty of grievous bodily harm in Oxford Crown Court on Thursday, Dec. 18, according to The Telegraph, Echo News and the Daily Mail.

Peasnell was arrested and charged after biting the fingers of Stephen Dixon — the uncle of his best friend, Peter Green — during an altercation in May 2023, per the outlets. The incident left Dixon with one finger partially amputated.

After being taken to the hospital later that day, Peasnell also threatened to bite off a police officer’s nose, allegedly saying, per The Telegraph, “get off my arms or I will bite your f—— nose off.”

During sentencing, Pringle said Peasnell began drinking earlier in the day before Green’s wedding, where he served as an usher. The judge said Peasnell continued drinking during the event, then got into an argument with his ex-girlfriend and was “ejected” — something he “didn’t take kindly to.”

Pringle said Peasnell then fought with the wedding organizer and a staff member. Outside the venue, he demanded that his friend come out to speak with him, and the situation quickly escalated.

“You thought he would be kind to you and invite you back inside. He described your behaviour that evening as behaving like a wild animal,” Pringle said, per The Telegraph and Echo News.

“When it was clear he was not going to invite you back inside, you became angry and a fight broke out,” the judge added.

Dixon and his son then stepped in to try to calm Peasnell down until police arrived. The pair held him down, and as officers reached the scene, Pringle said Peasnell bit Dixon’s finger “so hard it broke his bone.”

Body-camera footage captured the moments after the incident, including a man shouting, “He’s bit half his finger off!” and a woman screaming, “Oh my God!” The video then showed an officer restraining Peasnell while asking for medical help, according to a video obtained by Echo Essex.

Peasnell was also heard asking, “I don’t know what I’ve done wrong… Who have I assaulted?”

Peasnell denied causing grievous bodily harm in court, though he admitted to charges of fighting in a public space and threatening an officer. His attorney argued he acted in “self-defence.”

“It is plain Mr. Dixon was trying his best to get his hand released,” Pringle said, per The Telegraph. “[Peasnell] used his mouth as a highly dangerous weapon to maim Mr. Dixon’s fingers — plural.”

The judge said Dixon suffered a fracture at the end of his left middle finger and that the tip of the next finger was “missing.” He added that Dixon’s left middle finger ultimately required partial amputation.

As he sentenced Peasnell, Pringle told him, per Echo News: “You say you are deeply ashamed and disgusted at how you acted. Your big problem is to realize that alcohol and you are incompatible.”