'Unbelievably stupid' Waterlooville woman who smashed wine bottle over man's head is punished

Drunk Waterlooville woman Amy Kennedy, 29, lashed out during a ‘fiery argument’ on May 13 last year at her home in Kelly Road.

The blow left the man with cuts to the back of his head.

After admitting a charge of unlawful wounding, Kennedy was allowed to keep her liberty during her sentence hearing at Portsmouth Crown Court.

The court heard a provocative ‘remark’ was made following ‘unusual behaviour during the day’ before Kennedy saw red.

Judge Richard Shepherd said: ‘There was a fiery argument following a comment when in drink.

‘It was unbelievably stupid to strike the friend with a bottle.’

Richard Onslow, defending, said there had been discussions whether Kennedy was fit to plead before a psychiatric report concluded she was - leaving her facing jail.

He added: ‘She is frankly dead scared of going to prison.’

As judge Shepherd began his summing up, Kennedy was overwhelmed by the situation with her believing she was having a panic attack.

But the judge immediately put her out of her misery. ‘I will not be sending you to prison,’ he said.

Kennedy replied: ‘Thank god…the thought...I’ve never been here before.’

Judge Shepherd continued: ‘When you hit your friend with a bottle you caused some cuts to the back of the head.

‘Fortunately it could have been much worse but it wasn’t. The use of a wine bottle could have caused a really serious injury.’

The judge went on to pinpoint how ‘drink added fuel and fire to this’.

But he recognised the defendant’s ‘mental health difficulties’ and the ‘degree of provocation’ in the row between the friends.

The court heard Kennedy had one old conviction for criminal damage. ‘Apart from that you are a person who has not been in trouble before,’ judge Shepherd said.

‘You are genuinely remorseful of the harm you caused.’

He added: ‘Prison would be awful for you.’

Instead of immediate jail, Kennedy was handed a 14-month sentence suspended for 18 months.

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She was also told to complete 25 rehabilitation days but was warned she would ‘go to prison’ if there were any breaches.