South Shields nightclub thug left mum scarred in bottle attack after whispering 'you don't reject me'
A nightclub attacker who left a mum scarred for life by throwing a bottle into her face after whispering 'you don't reject me' has avoided jail.
The victim had been in a nightclub in South Shields in the early hours when she was "accosted" by Dean Sinclair. He approached her from behind on the dancefloor, Newcastle Crown Court heard.
He had originally been charged with sexual assault but that allegation was dropped. He caused her to turn around and she indicated she wanted him to leave her alone.
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The court heard Sinclair, 36, of Waskerley Road, Washington, became more forceful and so the woman pushed him away, pushing back against him. He then whispered to her "you don't reject me" and pushed her into a crowd of people and she fell to the floor.
He moved towards her and she felt under threat and kicked out at him. Sinclair was then seen to kneel down and picked up a bottle from the floor, which he threw at the woman, hitting her in the face.
It didn't break but caused a spilt on her lip extending onto her face and knocked a tooth out. She needed eight stitches to her face, has been left permanently scarred and has required extensive dental treatment. She described the pain she was in as 10 out of 10.
In a victim impact statement, she said she was left petrified and worried about possible repercussions. She said her fear was increased after getting a message on social media afterwards saying "alright split lip, how's it hanging" but Sinclair said he did not send it and that he doesn't have a Facebook account.
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The woman, who has a young child and had only had three drinks that night, said she was left "visually a mess" and didn't sleep until she knew her attacker had been arrested. She said she keeps getting flashbacks to what happened and has been left "physically and mentally drained" and feels "caged in her own home".
Sinclair, who 59 convictions on his record, including for violence and previously got a football banning order, pleaded guilty to GBH. He was sentenced to 20 months suspended for 18 months with 200 hours unpaid work, an alcohol abstinence monitoring requirement and he must do a "thinking skills programme". He must also pay the victim £4,000 compensation. Judge Robert Adams said he had come very close to going straight to prison.
The court heard he had been to a funeral that day and consumed a lot of alcohol and decided to go clubbing on his own. Kate Barnes, defending, said: "He wishes, through me to express his sincere remorse to his victim. He knows he has done wrong and has come today prepared to be punished, as he knows he must.
"Under the influence of alcohol, he failed to think about the consequences of his actions, both in approaching (her) and causing the injury to her with the bottle. It's really alcohol that lays behind everything on his unenviable antecedent history."
Miss Barnes added that he works as a shop fitter or labourer and wants to get back in employment to support his partner and children.