A Regina man who admitted to tearing off a woman's toe with a pair of pliers for an unpaid drug debt was given a three-year prison sentence on Wednesday.

Daniel Theodore, 26, pleaded guilty to aggravated assault last week.

Court heard how Theodore took the unidentified woman for a ride outside the city on July 11 then beat her over a reported $1,000 drug debt.

After the beating, Theodore held down the victim, took off her shoes and socks and ripped off her baby toe with pliers.

After being abandoned at the side of the road, the woman managed to flag down a passing motorist, court heard.

Provincial Judge Marylynne Beaton called Theodore's actions "vigilante justice" and said the crime has traumatized the victim for life, reports the CBC.

"One can imagine the pain, both physical and psychological, suffered by the victim," the CBC quoted Beaton saying in court. "The victim is left with a lifetime reminder. The message is, 'Don't mess with your creditors.’

Two women also charged in the case are awaiting trial.