TWO people have been jailed for their part in a nasty group attack in which the victim was pulled to the ground and kicked while on the floor.
Rebecca Canty was also sentenced for trying to intimidate the victim to drop the case just days after being arrested.
A third man, Colin Blackburn, killed himself in custody in July before he could be sentenced.
Canty, 41, and Terence Hodgkins, 35, had previously pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm in June. Simon Phillips, prosecuting, said Canty, Hodgkins and victim Rebecca Cook had met up by chance last September with Blackburn, and everyone had gone to his property in Stourport.
Mr Phillips said: “The group were invited to Blackburn’s address and the group were drinking alcohol.
“Canty and Hodgkins went to buy more alcohol and were kissing. But Canty said she wanted to live with Miss Cook. Hodgkins became aggressive.”
Mr Phillips said Hodgkins pulled the victim to the ground and kicked her while Canty joined in to get her to the ground. The solicitor said Blackburn had kicked her to the head, when she was on the floor.
He said the victim’s injuries had included bruising to the legs and body, a fracture to one of her fingers, and she may have scars on her forehead for the rest of her life. The solicitor said days after the attack Canty, of Dunley, Stourport, had seen the victim, walked up to her and warned her to drop the charges, or she said "gypsies would get her."
In a personal statement, the victim said because of the threat, she now couldn’t leave her home and had lost her confidence.
Abigail Nixon, defending Hodgkins, said the father-of-four knew he was facing custody but asked for the sentence to be kept as lenient as possible adding he was an alcoholic and wanted to complete alcohol treatment. Nick Berry, defending Canty stressed his client had not kicked the victim and she had been a model prisoner in custody. He added the witness intimidation had not been planned.
Sentencing the pair, the judge called it a nasty, sustained attack, carried out in a joint enterprise. He jailed Canty for a total of 21 months, and Hodgkins for 16 months. The judge then closed the case against Blackburn.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here