Joseph Cardwell left his step-dad William Darwin horribly disfigured after the pair were involved in a drunken Christmas Day row
A man whose step-son bit his nose off during a drunken Christmas Day brawl was left unable to attend his step-mum’s funeral due to the horrific injury inflicted on him. Joseph Cardwell, who had been downing brandy throughout the day, ferociously disfigured his mother’s then fiancé after an argument escalated and he was put into a bear hug.
Reacting violently to being restrained, Cardwell tore off his victim’s nose with his teeth and spat it out, having acted “like a dog with a bone”. One woman was left in tears as he was locked up over the sorry episode.
A trial at Liverpool Crown Court heard Cardwell and step-son William Darwin were enjoying family celebrations on December 25, 2023. Also present were the defendant’s mother and her partner of over two years, to whom she got engaged earlier in the same month. The 23-year-old was said to have started drinking brandy from 10am onwards before having Christmas dinner at his grandparents’ home.oining the festive meal at his grandparents’ residence, reports the Liverpool Echo.
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But Olivia Beesley, prosecuting, described how Cardwell and his step-father went on to have a “disagreement” during the course of the evening, apparently sparked after Mr Darwin made a remark about his step-son’s girlfriend attending the gym. He “began to walk away” following a confrontation in the conservatory before his attacker slammed the door shut and pulled at his shoulder, with a scuffling ensuing and the older of the two males placing the younger in a bear hug.
Cardwell then responded biting a chunk of his victim’s nose off and spitting it out. Mr Darwin has since undergone five operations as a result of the injury, procedures which have left him with further scars to his forehead and ear, with three further rounds of surgery still outstanding.
Speaking from the witness box yesterday, the grandad told the court: “In the long term, I will be disfigured and scarred for life. I’ll never look the same again. This has made me extremely self conscious. Every time I leave the house, I see people staring at me. I find myself staying in the house a lot more. I only left the house a couple of times a week.
“Several times a day, I remember the incident. I see it, hear it and feel it, everything that happened. Every time I try to sleep, I have vivid memories of what happened. It’s exhausting.
“Two or three days after the assault, my step-mother passed away. The cause of death was shock related. There were no other shocking events happening at the time, other than the assault on me. I hold Joe responsible for that.
“I didn’t attend the funeral. I didn’t want people seeing me. It wasn’t good for my dad either, to see me the way I was. I should have been able to be there in hard times, but I wasn’t able to be because of Joe.
“My relationship with his mum was good, but that collapsed as well. I feel like Joe betrayed me. I treated his mum good. There was no need for this.
“What I’m disappointed [with] is that he didn’t admit his wrongdoing and we had to drag it out to court. I’ve been told by mutual friends he’s not shown any remorse or any embarrassment about it and seems to be boasting about it, trying to justify it.
“When I look in the mirror, it looks like a horror movie. I’ve never seen injuries like that, and the nurses in hospital hadn’t either. He hasn’t stood up and admitted anything.”
Cardwell subsequently claimed to have been acting in self-defence during the incident, alleging that Mr Darwin had “snapped”, pinned him by the throat against a door and caused him to begin losing consciousness. He has no previous convictions.
Defending, Sarah Holt stated on Tuesday on behalf of Cardwell: “Mr Cardwell very much regrets this incident and deeply regrets the injury caused to Mr Darwin. He wants your honour and Mr Darwin to know that there has been no boasting, no rumours and certainly no celebration on his part.
“In his own words, there is nothing to boast about and nothing to be proud of. Since his arrest, he has been extremely fearful at the outcome of this case.
“This was a very unusual incident which appears to have come out of, quite frankly, nothing at all. While alcohol appears to have been taken, it does not appear to be the reason for his offending behaviour.
“This was an incredibly quick incident. There has been no history between Mr Cardwell and Mr Darwin. Mr Cardwell describes how well he got on with Mr Darwin and how much he liked him. There was no premeditation in this case, no planning and certainly no intention to cause really serious harm.
“He is someone in full time employment. Over the last four years, he has been studying at night to pursue his dream career of becoming a gas engineer. He is still waiting for the completion of that gas engineering qualification. That, now, may well be in jeopardy.
“There are a lot of positive aspects to Joseph Cardwell’s character. There are a number of references. They speak volumes as to the young man he is and how this was very much out of character and very much an isolated incident.”
Cardwell was cleared of wounding with intent by a jury but convicted of inflicting grievous bodily harm. Appearing in the dock wearing a blue suit over a white shirt and red tie, he was jailed for 21 months and handed a five-year restraining order.
Sentencing him, Judge Denis Watson KC remarked: “Until this particular incident, the two of you had got on extremely well, it seems. An incident, it seems, arose out of a remark which was not intended to be insulting or cause upset, but it seems that it did.
“You overreacted to it. That, I am satisfied, is down to the fact that you had been drinking. You chose to confront Mr Darwin and you became a bit like a dog with a bone. You were not prepared to let it go.
“The ripples that have spread out from this have caused an impact to all sorts of individuals. It really has impacted on his confidence, and the memories of this are never far from his mind. He has no control over whether they return and in what shape or form.”
One of his supporters in the public gallery was seen in tears as she left the courtroom. Merseyside Police’s Detective Inspector Darren Hankin said following the sentencing: “This was a vicious and shocking display of violence by Joseph Cardwell, and today he has been punished in the courts and is now behind bars. The incident quickly escalated from what was initially a verbal exchange of words that turned physical.
“The victim was left with facial injuries resulting in him having to go to hospital for treatment and ultimately having plastic surgery to try and correct the extensive damage. I hope Cardwell now uses the time in jail to reflect on his behaviour and the significant impact it has had on the victim.”