I shouted ‘I’m a child, I’m only 15’ as drunk women scarred my face in high heels attack at Craig David gig

A schoolgirl was left scarred after a drunk woman hit her in the face with her high heeled shoe after a Craig David concert at Haydock racecourse. As a result of the attack, the traumatised 15-year-old missed exams and is now afraid of crowds and had been afraid to get out of the car at her school prom.

Her assailant, Jeorga Thompson also used her shoes as a weapon on another stranger - Max Westwell - who was knocked out in the attack, which happened after the music concert on June 24 last year.

Thirty-year-old Thompson, who pleaded guilty to two offences of wounding, walked free from Liverpool Crown Court on Wednesday after the judge heard that she had never been in trouble before and is eight months pregnant.

The court heard that the offences took place at around 11.00pm, as crowds were leaving the Craig David gig in Haydock. Chris Hopkins, prosecuting, spoke on behalf of Max Westwell, who was not drunk at the time of the attack, and said he had noticed a group of people and saw the defendant who was carrying a pair of high heeled shoes in her hand.

“He could not tell any more about what happened due to the assault which knocked him to the ground and he was knocked unconscious by the blow. He woke up on the ground with blood on his clothing and when he touched his face he could feel a wound to his face,” said Mr Hopkins.

“He had a two centimetre wound to the left side of his face just above his lip. The defendant had struck him with a shoe, which she admits. He described attending Bolton Hospital where the wound was stitched and he had a lump to the back of his head.”

Mr Hopkins said that the 15-year-old victim - who cannot be named - was at the concert with her boyfriend and her parents, and was “helping her boyfriend’s mother change her shoes as they left the event”.

“She became aware of the assault on Max Westwell and saw him thrown down the side of railings and appeared to be unconscious. She saw the defendant who approached her and said, ‘why are you getting involved?’ and then she felt a blow to the side of her face.”

Mr Hopkins said that the girl, who is now 16, said, ‘I’m a child, I’m only 15’ and raised her hands. “She saw her with her arm raised bringing it down to swing towards her head and was struck with the shoe just over her eye brow, which knocked her back. She repeated, ‘I’m a child’,” he explained. The schoolgirl sustained a deep laceration above her left eye brow which was sutured. “Photographic images show a nasty wound” said Mr Hopkins.

Her boyfriend’s mum told how she tried to intervene after seeing the male being knocked to the ground and Thompson grabbed her saying, ‘ do you want to be next?’ and then saw the girl being struck to the face.

Taxi driver David Lee told how he saw Thompson "shouting about being hit with a bottle or a bottle being thrown" before seeing her hit the child, who "doubled over in pain, holding her face".

In an impact statement, the victim said she has been left with a scar above her eye. “Every day I look in the mirror and see it and think ‘why me?’,” she said, adding that she is very conscious of the scar and will only go out after disguising it with make up. As a result of the attack, the court heard that she missed exams and is now afraid of crowds and had been afraid to get out of the car at her prom.

“I cannot believe I was attacked by an adult woman, I was only 15 and she should have known better. I have not been to any music event since. I was so excited to go to a grown up event and see my favourite DJ. I very rarely go out and spend a lot of time at home because I know I am safe there,” she said.

John Weate, defending, said that Thompson had put forward an account of a bottle of water being kicked towards her group and the contents spilling over them, saying that she had been left "feeling intimidated" after Mr Westwell "walked towards her". She said she was then confronted and filmed as a result of her striking out at the first victim. 

The judge, Recorder Richard Leiper, KC, told Thompson: "This was a wholly unjustified attack. It was one compounded by the fact that, having seriously injured one person, you did the same to a 15-year-old female.

“You had been drinking that night to the extent that you do not fully remember the evening. A bottle of water was kicked towards your group, and the contents went over your group. There is no suggestion that Mr Westwell did anything wrong. You caused him serious injury.

“Understandably, members of the public approached. You said you felt confronted. You raised your hand to another individual. That child was left with a deep laceration above her left eyebrow. As a result of the incident, she missed her mock GCSE exams. Her enjoyment of her prom was ruined.”

He said that usually two unprovoked attacks on two passers-by by someone who is drunk  would lead to an immediate jail sentence but he said that her son and unborn child would suffer a harmful impact if she went straight to jail. "I accept that you do not present an ongoing danger to the public. I accept your expressions of remorse and that there is a realistic prospect of rehabilitation,” Recorder Leiper noted.

When sentenced to 45 weeks imprisonment suspended for 18 months Thompson, who had been weeping throughout the proceedings, clutched her chest and said, “Oh God.”

In a letter read to the court the defendant stated, "What I did was seriously wrong. I'm utterly devastated, deeply ashamed and appalled. Since this happened, I've been taking steps to ensure that this will never happen again. All I can do is strive to better myself and become a better person. This has been one of the hardest lessons of my life. Alcohol played a big part in what happened. I've not drank alcohol since that day.

"This really was an isolated incident. I've not done anything like this before. These actions do not represent the person I am. I live a normal, quiet family life. I am determined that it will never happen again."

Mr Weate said, “The offences were impulsive and spontaneous. There have been issues in the past with anxiety and depression. The example she has given to her children is not an example she wants to portray. She is determined to address her offending behaviour. She has worked for most of her adult life and no doubt in time will go back to work."

A three month electronically-monitored curfew from 7.30pm to 7.30am, which will begin in November after Thompson, from Rock Ferry, has delivered her child, was also imposed.