Connah’s Quay,North Wales - Drunk woman sentenced for headbutting victim in Connah's Quay bar attack

Published date: 16 July 2016 | 

Published by: Staff reporter
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A DRUNKEN young woman went up to another female in a pub and headbutted her.

April Smith, 25, later told police the victim had been involved in a dispute with her sister and that was why she carried out the attack.

But a few weeks later she did it again – this time with far more serious consequences.

The second attack took place at the same location, the Boathouse Sports Bar at Connah’s Quay, and was completely unprovoked.

The second victim had her front teeth knocked out and now faced dental work costing thousands of pounds, the court heard.

Smith, a mother-of-two from Howard Street in Connah’s Quay, admitted a charge of common assault on Rhian Boyle on May 14 and a charge of assault occasioning actual bodily harm on Charlotte Hill, who had been dancing at the bar on June 4.

Smith, who wept throughout much of the hearing at Mold Crown Court yesterday, escaped an immediate prison sentence.

The judge, Recorder Simon Mills, who viewed video recordings of both incidents, banned Smith from every pub and club in the county for a year.

He gave her a 14-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, and she was placed on rehabilitation and ordered to carry out 180 hours’ unpaid work in the community.

He ordered her to pay £300 compensation to Miss Hill but said that was a token, based on the defendant’s means, and in no way reflected the nature of the injury caused.

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The judge told Smith that it was a serious matter where she had used her head as a weapon. Fortunately, the first victim suffered relatively minor facial injuries.

But the second victim had two front teeth knocked out and the blow caused disfigurement and continuing pain and discomfort.

There was a financial cost and she would be going back and forth to the dentist, no doubt for many years.

“No sentence I can pass today can put right the wrong that you have done to her,” he said.

The judge said the headbutting was a coward’s assault, it came without warning and was designed to immediately disable.

She was so drunk that she claimed not to remember but the judge added: “That means your behaviour was out of control.”

The offences did pass the custody threshold but he took into account her age, the fact that she had been in a proven abusive relationship, she was in work, had ADHD and, importantly, had two small children to look after.

“If I were to send you to prison today, which you richly deserve, it would punish you but it would also punish your children,” he said. “It was a shocking piece of violence.”

Andrew Green, defending, said his client was a woman of good character who accepted she had been drinking too much.

She had been in an abusive relationship but was planning seek help from Women’s Aid.

Mr Green said Smith was very sorry for the offences, she could not remember the second incident because of the alcohol she had taken and with sober reflection was apologetic and remorseful.

see-http://www.leaderlive.co.uk/news/164376/drunk-woman-sentenced-for-headbutting-victim-in-connah-s-quay-bar-attack.aspx