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Man in 20s Arrested After Ear-Biting Attack in Bolton Hospital

Published 2 January 2026

A man in his 20s was arrested Friday afternoon after allegedly attacking patients in the waiting room of the Royal Bolton Hospital's accident and emergency department in Greater Manchester, United Kingdom, leaving one victim with part of his ear bitten off.

Police from Greater Manchester Police responded to reports of the disturbance shortly after 4:15 p.m. The suspect, who had been brought to the hospital earlier by officers, became agitated while waiting to be seen. Witnesses described him shouting at other patients, counting them out loud, and pacing near the entrance before the violence escalated.

According to one eyewitness, Michael Anderson, who was there with his pregnant partner, the man suddenly punched a frail elderly patient in the face, knocking him to the ground. When another person intervened to stop the attack, the suspect latched onto the intervener's ear and bit off a portion of it. Anderson, 34, said he rushed forward with a nurse to restrain the man, pinning him to the floor until hospital security and additional police arrived.

"I had gone to A&E with my partner, who is pregnant, and we were waiting at the desk to be checked in," Anderson recounted. "Two...

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