A thug ripped off a man's ear with his teeth because the victim complained he was making too much noise.

The man's entire ear was torn off in what was described as a vicious punishment beating.

The violence was so horrific a judge took the unusual step of jailing the offender indefinitely and ordering he should not be released until experts believed the public was safe from him.

Surgeons tried to sew the victim's ear back on but the procedure failed and he was later fitted with a prosthetic ear.

Police said: "He's a nice man whose life has completely shattered."

His attacker, Gareth Daniel Ide, 25, from Bognor, was found guilty of grievous harm and was sentenced at Chichester Crown Court on Thursday.

The court heard the 41-year-old victim was staying at Connaught House bedsits in The Esplanade, Bognor, in May last year when he complained about doors slamming and shouting from a room occupied by a drunken Ide and his girlfriend.

The victim was woken later by banging on his door.

The court heard Ide kicked open the door and headbutted the victim, knocking him to the floor.

Ide punched him several times and ripped off the whole of his left ear.

Judge John Sessions said Ide "posed a significant risk to members of the public of causing serious harm" and assessed him as a dangerous offender under the Criminal Justice Act 2003.

He sent Ide to jail for an indeterminate time, a sentence rarely used before in Sussex and passed for the protection of the public.

Ide will remain behind bars even after the period necessary for punishment and deterrence has been served, unless the Parole Board is satisfied it is safe for him to be released.

Even if Ide is released, he will be on licence for at least ten years and possibly for the rest of his life, with a risk of recall to prison if he reoffended or misbahaved.

Acting Detective Sergeant Chris Jay, officer in charge, said: "This is a significant sentence, reserved only for most serious of cases.

"Ide will serve a number of years in prison and only after that will he be released if a Parole Board is satisfied that he no longer poses a risk to the public.

"This was a horrific attack on a man who, immediately prior to the attack, was asleep in the apparent safety of his own flat.

"This has left him physically disfigured for the rest of his life. He has also been extremely emotionally affected by the incident."

Mr Jay said: "We have come across incidents before where part of someone's ear has been bitten off but I have never seen anything like this.

"Ide continually denied any involvement in the offence but there was clear evidence and the jury was unanimously sure he was the person who subjected the victim to this punishment beating.

"I am satisfied with the result.

"This sends out a clear message that Sussex Police and the courts will not tolerate this type of violent behaviour.

"I hope the conviction and sentence will help the victim to move on in his life and put that dreadful night of last year behind him."