A woman ripped out her ex-boyfriend's testicle when he rejected her demands for a threesome.

Nunzia Del Viscio, 43, of Merchant Crescent, Edinburgh, tore open her victim's scrotum with her teeth.

She claimed she acted in self defence but was found guilty of assault in court.

When police officers arrived at the flat where the attack occurred on Lauriston Terrace in Edinburgh they found Del Viscio with blood on her teeth.

She also had injuries to her eyes and bruising on her face.

Del Viscio said her victim, Marcello Palma, had hit her.

Edinburgh Sheriff Court heard Del Viscio had gone back to Mr Palma's flat with friends after a night out on May 22.

Mr Palma, 44, said after the group went to bed, Del Viscio, who had taken cocaine and a mixture of unknown drugs earlier that night, came into his room naked and demanded a threesome.

He refused and told her to get out of his flat after she began destroying a bedroom.

"I took her clothes and threw them at her," he said.

"We were insulting each other and she came against me and bit my left testicle. I threw two or three punches and had a finger in her eye to push her away. She drew her head back and my testicle came out."

Mr Palma was taken to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, where his testicle was put back into his scrotum and 15 stitches inserted.

Defence solicitor Philip Templeton said photographs showed injuries to his client's eyes and face and asked Palma if he had caused them.

Palma said he had, adding: "I was trying to stop her biting my testicle".

Sheriff Peter McCormack placed Del Viscio on a restriction of liberty order, preventing her from leaving her home between 10pm and 6am for six months and ordered her to pay her victim £500 compensation.