Woman left with “horrific injuries” when fancy dress party and mourners clashed at Derbyshire bar

The injured party-goer was pulled from a chair by her hair after having a drink thrown in her face before slipping and landing on a broken glass which had been thrown.

Chesterfield Magistrates Court heard she suffered a “deep wound” in her upper thigh which required 12 stitches during the attack at Ripley’s Crib Bar October 31 last year.

Prosecutor Freddie Sail described how mourners were gathered at Ripley’s Crib Bar to remember a local man who had died just days earlier.

However, a row broke out when the deceased man’s partner - 23-year-old Ashleigh Herrett - encountered a group of girls dressed up for Halloween in the bar as “bunny girls and police officers”.

The court heard Herrett - attacked the 18-year-old female victim after telling her “you’re not welcome here dressed like that”.

Mr Sail said: “The victim in this case suffered horrific injuries - what occurred led to her sustaining a deep wound in her upper left thigh requiring 12 stitches.”

The prosecutor told how after telling her victim “I’m going to smash your f****** face in” Herrett picked up a glass and “threw its contents” in her face.

He said: “She grabbed her by the hair and pulled her off the stool - there was a significant amount of blood as a result of her falling on the floor.”

Mr Sail said Herrett “may well have slipped” before falling onto glass on the floor.

In a victim impact statement read out to the court the injured woman described living in fear of going out following the attack.

She said: “I was in emotional turmoil over it all - it made me unable to sleep and wondering if the people involved would come after me.”

Herrett’s solicitor Asif Munir said: “The defendant Miss Herrett’s partner was deceased in suspicious circumstances on October 27 last year.

“A remembrance was held on October 31 at The Crib in Ripley with perhaps 100 or more guests - it was perhaps poor management in relation to The Crib.

“Two functions - a remembrance and Halloween party. One should perhaps have been put off until the day after.”

He added that there had been “no further repercussions” since office administrator Herrett’s attack on her victim.

The court heard Herrett had no previous convictions.

District Judge Andrew Davison told Herrett it was “extremely sad” that her former partner had died a few days before the “dreadful incident”.

However he added: “That does not justify your behaviour. They were particularly sad circumstances that caused you to act out of character.

“You instigated an incident and came back for more - you came back twice. What was the point of coming back for another hair pull?”

Herrett, of Blackstone Close, Somercotes, admitted assault by beating.

She was handed a 12-month community order with 80 hours unpaid work, made to pay £200 compensation, £85 court costs and a £95 victim surcharge.

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