A woman almost blinded and left
scarred for life after being glassed has spoken of her disgust after it
emerged her attacker could walk free in just five months.
Sophie Joyce spent five days in hospital, needed 40 stitches and underwent three operations after suffering deep gashes to her face and left eye.
The 20-year-old has been left partially sighted and doctors say she was lucky not to lose her sight altogether.
But yesterday the shop assistant said her ordeal had been made worse after thug David Collins, 17, was sentenced to just ten months in a young offenders’ institute.
With good behaviour, Collins, who was under age and should not have been allowed into the bar, could be free in just five months’ time.
Miss Joyce, of Manchester, said: 'Ten months is disgusting - it is ridiculous. I’ll have to live with this for the rest of my life and he will be out in five months.
‘It
makes me so angry. I would have liked to see him go down for a couple of
years. Instead I’ve been the one left to suffer. The scars may fade a
little but I’ll see them every day of my life.’
The attack happened at the M19 bar, in Levenshulme, Manchester, in the early hours of May 6. Collins, of Droylsden, Manchester, had offered Miss Joyce some rolling tobacco, but flew into a rage as he thought she had helped herself to too much. He hurled a pint glass at Miss Joyce, who was standing 4ft away, which smashed into her face.
‘The pint glass shattered into pieces,’ she said. ‘One piece of glass got stuck in my eye. Blood was pouring down.’ The glass perforated her eyeball and she needed an operation to remove shards from her eye. It took another two operations to glue the split eyeball back together.
Miss Joyce added: ‘When I open my eye it feels like I’m underwater. I can’t see any detail and I struggle to read things. Everything is blurry. The whole incident has made me feel so sad. It has left me frightened and self-conscious.’
John Wolfson, defending, told the court Collins ‘felt terrible’ about what had happened.
Collins pleaded guilty to causing actual bodily harm. Recorder Stephen Riordan, QC, told him: ‘What you did was disgraceful.’
Collins, from Droylsden, was locked up for 10 months in a young offenders institution after admitting causing actual bodily harm.
Manchester Crown Court heard how Collins offered Miss Joyce, from Longsight, some rolling tobacco and then flew into a rage because he thought she had taken too much.
Collins, formerly of Cypress Road in Droylsden, was arrested at the scene after staff stopped him from fleeing.
Defending Collins, John Wolfson said: 'To say he’s terribly sorry for what’s happened is perhaps an understatement.
'I’m instructed to apologise deeply to the young woman concerned for the catastrophic injury he’s caused her. He feels terrible about it.'
Passing sentence, judge Stephen Riordan QC said: 'What you did was disgraceful, violent and a criminal act.'
Sophie Joyce spent five days in hospital, needed 40 stitches and underwent three operations after suffering deep gashes to her face and left eye.
The 20-year-old has been left partially sighted and doctors say she was lucky not to lose her sight altogether.
Victim: Sophie Joyce shortly after the sickening attack. The 20-year-old will be scarred for life
Attractive: Miss Joyce pictured before the attack, which she has described as having changed her life
But yesterday the shop assistant said her ordeal had been made worse after thug David Collins, 17, was sentenced to just ten months in a young offenders’ institute.
With good behaviour, Collins, who was under age and should not have been allowed into the bar, could be free in just five months’ time.
Miss Joyce, of Manchester, said: 'Ten months is disgusting - it is ridiculous. I’ll have to live with this for the rest of my life and he will be out in five months.
Thug: Collins was handed 10 months in a young offenders institute
The attack happened at the M19 bar, in Levenshulme, Manchester, in the early hours of May 6. Collins, of Droylsden, Manchester, had offered Miss Joyce some rolling tobacco, but flew into a rage as he thought she had helped herself to too much. He hurled a pint glass at Miss Joyce, who was standing 4ft away, which smashed into her face.
‘The pint glass shattered into pieces,’ she said. ‘One piece of glass got stuck in my eye. Blood was pouring down.’ The glass perforated her eyeball and she needed an operation to remove shards from her eye. It took another two operations to glue the split eyeball back together.
Miss Joyce added: ‘When I open my eye it feels like I’m underwater. I can’t see any detail and I struggle to read things. Everything is blurry. The whole incident has made me feel so sad. It has left me frightened and self-conscious.’
John Wolfson, defending, told the court Collins ‘felt terrible’ about what had happened.
Collins pleaded guilty to causing actual bodily harm. Recorder Stephen Riordan, QC, told him: ‘What you did was disgraceful.’
Collins, from Droylsden, was locked up for 10 months in a young offenders institution after admitting causing actual bodily harm.
Manchester Crown Court heard how Collins offered Miss Joyce, from Longsight, some rolling tobacco and then flew into a rage because he thought she had taken too much.
Crime scene: Sophie outside the M19 bar where the attack happened
Collins, formerly of Cypress Road in Droylsden, was arrested at the scene after staff stopped him from fleeing.
Defending Collins, John Wolfson said: 'To say he’s terribly sorry for what’s happened is perhaps an understatement.
'I’m instructed to apologise deeply to the young woman concerned for the catastrophic injury he’s caused her. He feels terrible about it.'
Passing sentence, judge Stephen Riordan QC said: 'What you did was disgraceful, violent and a criminal act.'
Severe: The shop assistant suffered horrific injuries following the unprovoked attack
No comments:
Post a Comment
I like knowing my fans better. Kindly drop your comment using your name/url/Google accounts and not as Anonymous. Thanks for your understanding.