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Woman who disfigured friend after glassing her with champagne flute is jailed

Courtney Ridgeway has been jailed after glassing her friend. (SWNS)
Courtney Ridgeway has been jailed after glassing her friend. (SWNS)

A woman who left her friend permanently disfigured after glassing her in the face with a Champagne flute has been jailed for nearly three years.

Courtney Ridgeway, 21, carried out the attack following a dispute with the woman at a supported housing complex, Leeds Crown Court heard.

Lucy Brown, prosecuting, said Ridgeway had known her victim for around seven months and they had previously got on well.

But on December 27, 2019, the two had got into a fight and later, the defendant had struck the woman with the champagne flute.

The wound was said to be so deep that the victim's skull was visible.

Ridgeway, from Leeds, was jailed for two years and 11 months after pleading guilty to unlawful wounding.

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A general view of Leeds Crown Court.   (Photo by Anna Gowthorpe/PA Images via Getty Images)
Courtney Ridgeway was jailed at Leeds Crown Court. (SWNS)

Shortly before the incident, the victim went outside to have a cigarette where she saw Ridgeway, the defendant's brother and another woman arguing.

The victim asked Ridgeway to leave before punching her and causing a split lip.

Ridgeway retaliated by grabbing the woman by the hair and the pair began fighting.

Staff at the premises intervened and stopped the fight, and the victim was led away to her bedroom by a duty care worker.

But the prosecutor said Ridgeway then struck the victim to the side of the head with a broken Champagne flute.

A witness later described how Ridgeway had picked up the glass and smashed it against a wall before attacking.

The victim said she instantly felt pain and began bleeding.

Police were contacted and they recovered the broken Champagne flute.

Ridgeway's and the victim's DNA were found on the weapon, which indicated that it was used to carry out the attack.

Officers arrested Ridgeway at her then home in Gipton, Leeds.

The defendant later told the officers: "You should be locking her up too.

"I have spoken to her on the phone, and we are all sorted now."

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The court heard that the victim suffered a 5cm deep cut near her temple, which had to be cleaned and X-rayed.

She provided a statement to the court describing how she has been left permanently scarred.

Michael Walsh, mitigating, said Ridgeway was aged 19 at the time of the offence and had not been in trouble since.

He said his client carried out the attack "in the heat of the moment" after being provoked.

Judge Tom Bayliss QC said: "What caused the fight and why you were fighting is immaterial.

"It was broken up and a duty care worker took [the victim] back to her flat.

"Unfortunately, you were not for giving up the fight.”

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