Thug who sliced off ex-wife's ear has jail sentence INCREASED to 14 years

Patrick Reilly attacked Kathleen Reilly in Bloxwich, because she had left him and he wanted to make sure no man would ever 'look at her again'.

The 37-year-old, of Rugby Close, Ashby-de-la-Zouch, was jailed for nine years at Wolverhampton Crown Court on December 12 last year.

But the Solicitor-General Robert Buckland QC argued his jail term was far too soft - and senior judges at London's Court of Appeal agreed, increasing the term to 14 years.

Reilly was helped by his sister Deborah Jane Corcoran, 45, of Stone Close, Ashby, and her daughter, Kelly Marie Corcoran, 26, of Vicarage Road, Whitehall, Bristol.

Mrs Reilly had left her husband prior to the attack on April 4 last year, Lady Justice Sharp told the court.

The trio set out to cause serious injury to her because 'she would not take her husband back and had brought shame upon the family'.

They gained access to her home by 'subterfuge' and the two women grabbed her by the hair, pulled her into the lounge and pinned her to the floor.

They shouted insults at her and said Reilly should never have married her and she deserved everything she was going to get.

Reilly punched his ex-wife to the face and chest.

He then picked her up by her hair and sliced off most of her ear 'to make sure no man would look at her again'.

The assault took place in front of the victim's three young children.

He brandished the flick knife at the children and told them to 'shut up', before slicing off their mother's ear.

One of the children put the ear on ice after the attackers left but 'unfortunately it proved impossible to reattach', said the judge.

Extensive reconstructive surgery and skin grafts will be required to rebuild Mrs Reilly's ear.

She rarely sleeps at night, cannot leave her house alone, is scared to open her front door and has had panic attacks, the judge added.

All three attackers were convicted of wounding with intent. Deborah Corcoran got six years, while her daughter got five years.

Reilly was also convicted of possession of a bladed article and threatening to commit criminal damage.

He had 31 previous convictions for 98 crimes, the court heard.

Jake Hallam, for the Solicitor-General, argued that all three should have received much tougher sentences. It was a 'profoundly serious offence' and their jail terms did not reflect this, he argued.

James Beck, for Reilly, argued that his jail term was 'lenient' but not 'unduly lenient'.

Lee Masters, for Deborah Corcoran, agreed and said she was 'in thrall' to her brother.

He also pointed to her age, lack of relevant convictions, remorse and being primary carer for her 12-year-old-son.

Graham Henson, for Kelly Corcoran, said she had been 'recruited late in the day' and used as a 'decoy' to gain entry to the house.

He described her as a 'sad character' who was 'susceptible to being led' and had made 'suicide attempts'.

Lady Justice Sharp said the attack began with a 'shocking and terrifying invasion of the victim's home'.

She was 'quite deliberately disfigured with a knife in the presence of her three young children'.

The 'deliberate mutilation' of her face was 'to ensure no man would ever look at her again'.

The judge, who was sitting with Mr Justice Haddon-Cave and Judge Paul Batty QC, ruled that Reilly and Deborah Corcoran's jail terms were 'unduly lenient'.

She increased Reilly's jail term from nine to 14 years. Deborah Corcoran's term went up from six to eight years. While Kelly Corcoran's five-year jail term could have been tougher, it was not unduly lenient, concluded the judge.