A MAN who cut off a chunk of a man’s lip before stamping on his head has had his claims he was wrongly convicted thrown out by senior judges.

Nathan Hawkins, 22, of Howard Road, Banbury, was jailed for three years, four months at Oxford Crown Court in February last year after he was found guilty of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

But lawyers for Hawkins questioned the reliability of a police ID parade and at London’s Court of Appeal on Wednesday.

However, three senior judges ruled the conviction “safe” and dismissed the appeal.

Lord Justice Moses told the court Hawkins had gone to the Banbury home of Daniel Armitage on the morning of April 9, 2009. Before Mr Armitage had a chance to open the door, Hawkins burst in and knocked him to the ground.

He put a knife to Mr Armitage’s mouth, cutting off a chunk of his lip, before holding the weapon to his throat.

The judge said Hawkins threatened to kill Mr Armitage and then stamped on his head, leaving him unconscious.

Police arrested Hawkins after an ID parade and a piece of clothing stained with Mr Armitage’s blood was later found at his home. But Charlotte Eadie, for Hawkins, said the ID parade was flawed as his trial was told a friend of Mr Armitage told him Hawkins had carried out the attack. She claimed the jury should have been discharged as soon as this was revealed.

Miss Eadie also raised questions over whether Mr Armitage was fit to take part in the ID, held soon after the attack.

Lord Justice Moses, sitting with Mr Justice Kenneth Parker and Judge Peter Beaumont QC, said the crown court judge had given directions to the jury on how to treat the new information.