Adobe StockA woman who left her friend seriously injured after plunging a smashed gin glass into her face has been jailed for almost five years.
Collette Hanchard had been enjoying a summer’s night in the victim’s outhouse at her home when she suddenly carried out the unprovoked attack.
The 55-year-old laundry worker later messaged the 57-year-old, stating she had a cut finger and could not remember what happened.
The defenceless victim could have died, but for urgent medical treatment.
First offender Hanchard appeared at the High Court in Glasgow on Tuesday, having earlier pled guilty to an aggravated assault charge.
Judge Alistair Watson sentenced her to four years and 11 months.
He told Hanchard: “The woman has been left with extensive and visible scarring.
“The victim impact statement sets out in detail the physical injury suffered.
“It also speaks of the life-changing effect the attack has had on her. The psychological harm is massive.”
Hanchard had gone to the woman’s home in Hamilton, Lanarkshire, on June 14, 2024.
The attacker was described as being in “good spirits”.
The women were initially in the living room before going into the back garden to socialise.
Prosecutor David Fisken told the court: “They remained outside chatting and listening to music.”
Around midnight, Hanchard told the victim she had called a taxi, but was going to visit the toilet before she left.
She was clutching a green-stemmed gin glass at the time.
Mr Fisken then explained: “Hanchard was away for two to three minutes while [the victim] remained in the outhouse.
“[The woman] then heard glass smashing. Hanchard came to the door of the outhouse, took a large step towards the victim, who felt a terrible pain to the left side of her face and neck.
“She covered her face with her hands and crouched over.
“Hanchard then threw her right hand towards [the victim’s] face, who this time felt extreme pain to the front of it.”
The badly wounded woman got away from Hanchard and shouted for her husband, who was upstairs.
Mr Fisken said: “He ran down and saw her holding her neck with blood pouring out from it.
“[The victim] said to him: ‘She has been attacking me’.”
The woman’s husband grabbed a towel to help his wife and shouted at Hanchard to get out of their home.
But, she instead sauntered back into the outhouse “as if nothing had happened”.
The victim’s husband physically grabbed Hanchard and chucked her onto the street. Hanchard, of Bellshill, Lanarkshire, soon left in a taxi.
The victim was rushed to hospital with bad injuries to her cheek, ear, lip and neck.
She left hospital on June 16 after medical help.
Mr Fisken said: “The potential consequences of treatment not being provided were bleeding, scarring, infection and death.
“[The victim] has been left with extensive permanent scarring and a loss of feeling down the left side of her neck as well as behind the ear.”
The court heard Hanchard messaged the victim via Facebook after the attack and also left voicemails.
In one text, she claimed: “Hi… – what happened last night. I can’t remember a thing.
“Cut finger, blood everywhere. I’m really sorry if I’ve done something cause your a really good friend xxx”.
She said in a voicemail just hours after the crime that she had woke up with “blood everywhere” adding: “Can you help me please?”
Hanchard later told police she had no memory of the time the attack happened, but could recall being asked to leave by the woman’s husband.
Hanchard pled guilty to a charge of assaulting her friend to her severe injury, permanent disfigurement and impairment as well as danger of her life.
Rhonda Anderson, defending, said: “The woman before the court is wholly disgusted by her actions.
“She is bereft about what she has done and recognises that she has to be punished.”
Judge Watson cut the jail term from six and a half years due to the guilty plea.
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