SALEM, Mass. — A tattoo artist will spend four months in jail and four months on an electronic monitoring bracelet after pleading guilty to a violent assault on a Salem man - including an attempt to bite off the man's nose - last January.

Phillip Canale, 39, pleaded guilty to charges stemming from the Jan. 27 incident in which he threw a box of videotapes at John Turcotte, then got into a brawl with him.

During the incident, Canale bit down on Turcotte's nose, then, Turcotte said Tuesday in court, began to chew on it.

During the fight, Turcotte said, Canale called him a rat, prosecutor James Steinberg told Salem District Court Judge Robert Cornetta.

Defense lawyer John Morris said Canale was acting in self-defense during a fight that was the culmination of a day of drinking.

Morris also argued that Turcotte has a record of violence.

Turcotte, who offered a victim-impact statement, said he is scarred for life and has no money to have the plastic surgery to fix his nose - though Cornetta suggested he might be able to get help from the victim witness fund.

Turcotte was also unhappy with Cornetta's sentence for Canale - 2 1/2 years in jail, of which all but 10 months will be suspended. Canale already has spent almost three months in jail. Turcotte called the sentence "a joke."

Canale will be on probation for three years after he completes the committed portion of his sentence.



The Salem News of Salem, Mass.