A chaotic scene unfolded at a wedding when an inebriated usher was apprehended moments after viciously biting off a guest’s finger. Described as behaving like a ‘wild animal,’ the incident has left a lasting impact on what was meant to be a joyful occasion.
Daniel Peasnell, aged 33, was sentenced to five years in prison on Thursday following his conviction for grievous bodily harm. The attack, which took place at The Perch Pub in Binsey, near Oxford, in May 2023, targeted Stephen Dixon, a fellow guest.
Wedding organizers had summoned the police to manage Peasnell’s erratic and aggressive conduct. As officers arrived at the scene, Peasnell shockingly bit Mr. Dixon’s finger, escalating the situation further.
Recently released bodycam footage captures the moment officers approached Peasnell, who was clad in a torn and blood-stained white shirt. He was restrained on the ground by three other guests trying to control the situation.
A voice can be heard on the footage exclaiming, “He’s bitten half his finger off!” This is followed by a woman’s shocked scream: “Oh my God!”
Amid the chaos, an officer calls for an ambulance, stating, “I think somebody’s finger has been bitten off,” with another officer confirming the gruesome injury.
Peasnell, best friend of the groom, Peter Green, protests: ‘I don’t know what I’ve done, sorry.’
The father-of-four had been drinking since breakfast on what was also his 31st birthday.
Police bodycam footage shows officers arresting Daniel Peasnell after he bit off a wedding guest’s finger
As police arrived, the rowdy usher was being pinned to the ground by three people
Daniel Peasnell, 33, admitted grievous bodily harm
In a fit of drunken fury, he also threatened to bite off a police officer’s nose.
Peasnell had denied grievous bodily harm with intent but was convicted after a trial at the same court earlier in the year.
He previously admitted other charges of affray and using threatening words or behaviour towards a police officer.
Recalling the grim episode encounter, Mr Dixon told Oxford Crow Court: ‘I could hear a fracas, something happening.
‘I heard shouting and swearing at first. I heard the impact of a punch or a slap, but I couldn’t see it.
‘I heard someone shout “who f***ing wants it?”. It was Daniel’s voice.’
He added: ‘They started arguing and then Daniel went for Peter. He surged towards him.
‘I jumped in to stop it.’
In grisly details, Mr Dixon described how he felt Peasnell ‘biting’ and ‘chewing’ on his finger.
‘It was agonising pain,’ he told the court.
‘I was screaming. I was then taken back to the bar and the staff dressed my fingers.
‘There was a piece of my finger missing.’
Peasnell crunched down on Stephen Dixon’s finger just as the police arrived
Police requested an ambulance when it became clear part of Mr Dixon’s finger was missing
The horrifying episode happened outside The Perch pub in Binsey, near Oxford
Peasnell previously gave evidence to the jury and said he had been arguing with his partner at the time of the wedding.
He said: ‘It was my best mate’s wedding. My relationship with alcohol at the time was at its lowest, it was awful.
‘I was completely and utterly intoxicated. It was a real boozy event. I don’t drink now.’
He added that Mr Green approached him with a group for ‘four or five people’, including Mr Dixon.
Peasnell then said that Mr Green told him: ‘You couldn’t behave for one f***ing day.’
He claimed Mr Green punched him in the face before he smacked him back.
He said: ‘After I punched him, it was like a melee. I was on the floor. There were punches coming from all different directions.
‘I was being punched and kicked repeatedly. I couldn’t breathe. Stephen Dixon was trying to rip my cheek.’
When asked in court how the tip of Mr Dixon’s finger came off, he said: ‘I don’t know. I couldn’t breathe. I was just trying to survive.
‘I bit down. I’m disgusted he was harmed. I didn’t want to harm anyone.
‘I never chewed on his finger.’
His Honour Judge Ian Pringle KC summarised the course of events: ‘You got into a fight with the wedding organiser and a member of staff.
‘Later on, you insisted that your friend Peter Green came out to speak to you. He did.
‘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.
Peasnell became angry and a scrap broke out after ‘it was clear he was not going to invite you back inside’, the judge said.
