A RYDE man sank his teeth into a woman's breast so hard she needed two courses of antibiotics, an Isle of Wight court heard.

Kenneth Oatley, of Rink Road, Ryde, admitted inflicting actual bodily harm against a woman, on a reckless basis, on December 7 last year.

Oatley, 41, with no previous convictions, had changed his plea during his trial on March 18, with evidence from the victim already given.

When he appeared before Island magistrates on Monday, April 26, an application was made to change his plea back to not guilty, but it was rejected, with the guilty plea standing.

Before the incident, the victim, described as a 'very good friend' of Oatley's, moved in with him following a split with her fiance.

She said she was not in a relationship with Oatley, but they were cuddling at the time of the incident.

Ann Smout, prosecuting, at the Isle of Wight Magistrates' Court, said: "He bit her out of the blue — on her right breast. It hurt, it broke the skin and the wound got worse over the days that followed — so much so, the bite became infected and she needed two courses of antibiotics and antiseptic creams."

A victim impact statement was read to the court by Mrs Smout.

She said: "This incident has left me utterly shocked and confused. I trusted him completely. I was in a vulnerable place emotionally and he took advantage of me. I feel so upset all the time. I don't feel safe anymore.

"His ex-wife said he could not have the kids over. I feel this is what set him off against me."

The victim later wished to retract her statement, but the CPS rejected it.

However, in a fresh statement, she said Oatley had a broken tooth which could have been why the bite caused such a painful injury.

For Oatley, Henry Farley said his client had had no wish to cause the woman pain.

Magistrates gave Oatley a year of probation, to include 120 hours' unpaid work, and ordered him to pay £300 costs and a £95 victim surcharge.