20 February 2024 , 23:06
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A beautician left a mum with a scar so severe she avoids leaving the house after smashing her in the face with a wine glass.
Chelsea Orrock lobbed the glass at the woman after she mentioned that she had dated her boyfriend at school on a night out in June 2022. The glass caused a cut from the victim's lip to her cheek which was left leaking blood and required stitches.
Prosecutor Ian Cook told the court: "The complainant commented she and her partner used to go out with each other at school. The defendant had a wine glass in her hand and she threw that, forcibly, toward the victim, striking her to the left side of her face. The glass smashed."
The prosecutor said the victim was bleeding heavily from a horizontal laceration from below her lip to her cheek. She was taken to South Tyneside District Hospital. Though she was stitched up and discharged, she had to return to hospital later because her injury had become infected, delaying the healing process.
The victim said she was caused significant pain, has been left "disfigured", has nerve damage and has lost all self-confidence. She added: "I feel like people are always looking at my scar when I talk to them. I look at the floor during conversations as a result. I try to avoid leaving the house."
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Orrock, 29, of Birdhill Place, South Shields, who now runs a nails and lashes business, admitted unlawful wounding. Recorder Jason Pitter KC told her: "You ought to be ashamed of yourself. The circumstances seem to be you were unable to control your feelings, emotions, passions, centering around a man and you dealt with that by lashing out with a glass.
"That is a really serious offence. Not just the fact it's a weapon in the context of a drinking environment where other people could have been hurt but you were fortunate, just as fortunate as the complainant in this case, that the injuries were not more serious.
"You only need to look in the newspapers to see how this can result in loss of sight and other serious injuries. You were too wrapped up in your own emotions to see that."
Recorder Pitter sentenced Orrock, who has no previous convictions or history of violence and is a mum, to 18 months, suspended for 18 months with rehabilitation requirements, 90 days alcohol abstinence monitoring, 130 hours unpaid work and an order to pay £1,000 compensation.
Sam Faulks, defending, said Orrock has a "high level of remorse" and added: "She bitterly regrets her actions concerning what she did that night. She has demonstrated a proper level of insight into her offending."
Mr Faulks said Orrock, who has started her own lash and nail business, has a number of character references and no longer drinks enough to become intoxicated.