A WREXHAM woman who struck another woman to the head with a bottle of gin, which smashed on impact, avoided immediate imprisonment.

Roxanne McCarthy, 28, of Bodlyn, Acrefair, had raised the bottle above the head and caused a wound to her victim’s forehead.

The victim, Katy Evans, went to walk away but fell unconscious and was out cold for some nine minutes, causing great concern to her family, Mold Crown Court was told.

McCarthy, now working as a hotel house-keeper, admitted a wounding charge and received a ten month prison sentence suspended for a year.

She must remain indoors between 9 pm and 6 am under a three month tagged curfew and she was ordered to pay £750 compensation.

The court heard how the victim and a friend had been to the defendant’s home where they and others had been drinking all night.

There was an argument at about 7.30 am on the morning of September 8 last year when prosecuting barrister Nicholas Williams said the defendant lifted a glass bottle of gin which had been taken to her home and struck the victim with it.

“She struck her across the head with it,” he explained.

Blood began to flow from the gash to the head and as she went to leave she collapsed.

A piece of glass had been lodged in the wound and it may be that a procedure wound be needed to remove it - but it had been delayed because she was pregnant.

The defendant had used the bottle as a weapon.

In a victim impact statement Miss Evans told how she had been left with a scar on her forehead which had caused her considerable distress.

Defending barrister Dafydd Roberts said that his client was proud of the fact that she had been working for the last three months.

Judge Rhys Rowlands said that the complainant and a mutual friend went to the defendant’s home for some cigarettes and took with them a bottle of gin.

They stayed for some hours and for some reason the two women argued.

At 7.30 am following some pushing and shoving the defendant picked up a bottle of gun, raised it above her head and struck her with it causing a wound above the left eye.

It had been a cowardly attack which caused a significant injury which could have been worse if she had been struck in the eye.

But she had pleaded guilty, she was in work, there had been delays and she had remained out of trouble since.

Not without some misgivings he was prepared to suspend the inevitable prison sentence.