Ashley Anaise Hamon had been drinking vodka for several hours before getting into an argument with a man in St James’ Wine Bar in April this year. As her friend attempted to intervene and defend Hamon, the 41-year-old pulled out the blade and slashed her friend’s neck leaving her with a five-centimetre scar.
The pair had drunk 1¼litres of vodka between them before going to the wine bar with a male friend.
At the bar, Hamon, who three days earlier had been reported as missing by the police, got into an argument with a woman and was asked to leave.
As the three of them left the bar, Hamon began arguing with the man while her friend stood between them.
In a police statement read out in court, the victim said: ‘Ashley put her arm around my neck and her hand on my shoulder and pulled me back slightly.
‘I thought she was just holding me back. I didn’t feel anything. She said something like, “This is what you should be getting”. I felt like she said that to [the man] who was facing me.
‘I felt like she was demonstrating what she wanted to do on me. I don’t know if she wanted to hurt me or what. As soon as she had done it she let go of me. I didn’t actually know what happened… my neck felt wet and when I touched it I had blood on my hands.’
Asking for a sentence of 3½ years, Crown Advocate Christopher Baglin, prosecuting, said: ‘The victim suffered a single slash wound to the neck. It was extremely fortunate that it was not more serious. The defendant will have a permanent scar.’
However, Advocate Jane Grace said that the Crown’s conclusions were too high and that her client’s ‘poor mental state’ at the time of the assault should be taken into account.
