Man who sliced off ex-girlfriend's nipples with scissors sentenced to 45 years in prison

Tony Ledbetter, 45, pleads guilty to three counts of aggravated assault at trial in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, after mutilating victim during heated argument

Tony Ledbetter (AP)

A judge has sentenced a South Dakota man to 45 years in prison for using scissors to mutilate his ex-girlfriend’s breasts.

Forty-five-year-old Tony Ledbetter of Sioux Falls earlier pleaded guilty to three counts of aggravated assault. As part of a plea deal, prosecutors agreed to ask for no more than 30 years.

But the Argus Leader reports Judge Doug Hoffman went against the plea agreement on Tuesday and gave Ledbetter the maximum 45 years.

Ledbetter was accused of sitting on the woman and slicing off her nipples with a pair of scissors during an argument last year. He apologised in court.

The victim told the court how her injuries affected her physically and emotionally. She addressed Ledbetter directly, saying, “Do you feel like a man?”

AP