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A Deliveroo driver bit off a customer's thumb after they argued over the code for his takeaway pizza.
Jenniffer Rocha admitted to Winchester Crown Court that she caused grievous bodily harm after biting off the thumb of customer Stephen Jenkinson.
The 35-year-old now faces the possibility of prison after the man's right thumb was completely severed just above the knuckle as a result of the bewildering attack.
The incident unfolded on 14 December, 2022, when 36-year-old Jenkinson had ordered a pizza from Deliveroo to his home near Aldershot, which was delivered by Rocha.
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However, she arrived at the wrong address and when Jenkinson went to get his food, he forgot to take his phone, leading to an argument over the delivery code customers are supposed to provide to confirm they really did order the food.
Jenkinson told the BBC he'd raised his hand during the argument and it was at this point the Deliveroo driver bit his thumb.
"All I remember, I was shaking her helmet trying to get her off," he said of the attack which took his right thumb off.
"The force with which she must have been biting, she'd clean taken it off."
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Stephen said he felt as though he'd 'gone through a chainsaw'.
They also reported that Rocha had been working as a 'substitute' on somebody else's Deliveroo account, with the company saying they'd closed the rider's account.
Following the altercation, Stephen had to have part of his big toe sewn onto the stump of his missing thumb.
Jenkinson was a plumber by trade but said that since having his thumb bitten off, he's been unable to work, along with having to relearn basic tasks like tying shoelaces and buttoning up shirts.
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He said: "Financially, I'm ruined. I'm unemployed. I'm in a massive amount of debt and I don't see the light at the end of the tunnel."
According to the BBC, he also said his relationship with his girlfriend - the mother of his newborn daughter - also broke down as a result.
Prosecutors told the court that Jenkinson had become 'permanently disabled' as a result of having his thumb bitten off and he'd had to go through an 11 hour surgery process as a result.
"The impact on the victim has been devastating", prosecutor Rebecca Austin said. "He has been left with a permanent disability and a part of his toe being removed.
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"It has had a physical and psychological impact and continues to this day."
Rocha appeared at Winchester Crown Court and had been due to face trial on the charge of grievous bodily harm with intent, but at the last minute she admitted to grievous bodily harm without intent and is due to be sentenced on 3 May.
Addressing Rocha in court, Judge Timothy Mousley KC said it was a ‘serious offence which may well result in you being sent to prison’.
She is originally from Brazil and has citizenship in the UK until 2028.
In a statement Deliveroo told LADbible: "This was an awful incident. We ended the account of the rider concerned immediately and have fully cooperated with the police on the investigation."
Joe Harker