Edinburgh woman bites off man's tongue in a street fight, seagull swoops down and eats it

McKenzie was horrified to see a "large seagull" swoop in to take the flesh.
McKenzie was horrified to see a "large seagull" swoop in to take the flesh. Photo credit: Getty

An Edinburgh man, who had his tongue bitten off by a woman in a street fight, was left horrified after a seagull swooped down and ate it.

James McKenzie and Bethaney Ryan got into a street fight in August 2019, when she leant in to kiss him, biting a large chunk of his tongue.

Ryan pleaded guilty to assaulting James McKenzie in a court hearing last Thursday (local time).

Edinburgh Sheriff Court's prosecutor Susan Dickson said the pair, who were strangers, clashed at the capital's Leith Walk and an argument developed.

Ryan had initially tried to walk away from the confrontation but McKenzie continued to be aggressive towards her, approaching her with a "clenched fist".

"Miss Ryan, somewhat oddly, responded to that by pushing him on the body and kissing him," Dickson said.

"She kissed him on the lips and during the course of that she bit through his tongue, which caused a piece of his tongue to be removed."

After McKenzie spat it out, he was horrified to see a "large seagull" swoop in to take the flesh, which was approximately 2cm by 3cm in size.

Ryan was later arrested by police and McKenzie was admitted to hospital where the "laceration to his tongue" was said to be "oozing blood".