Drunken thug “disfigured” Halifax bar worker when he hurled beer bottle into her face

The woman attended Bradford Crown Court and saw 30-year-old Shaun Hall sentenced to 25 months in prison after he admitted a charge of unlawful wounding over the early hours incident at Maggie’s Bar on December 8, 2019.

Prosecutor Timothy Jacobs read a powerful victim impact statement from the complainant who described how she didn’t want to leave her home because of the “horrific” way she looked.

She said she had suffered vivid nightmares and flashbacks and had felt embarrassed and degraded when people stared at her and made comments.

The complainant said she used to be outgoing and full of life, but she was now known as “that poor girl who was assaulted”.

She said she wouldn’t be able to have beautiful wedding photos because the scar to her forehead would ruin them.

“Every time I look in the mirror I’m reminded of what happened to me and I can’t escape it,” she said.

She said the scar could not be covered up with make-up because it was too deep and prominent.

Mr Jacobs said although the complainant reluctantly returned to work she had now left the job she had loved.

On the night of the attack a woman in Hall’s group had been screaming and throwing straws and pieces of lime at bar staff because she wasn’t being served in the busy nightspot.

After the complainant said she wouldn’t be served because of her behaviour the woman threatened to stab her and looked like she was going to climb over the bar.

Mr Jacobs said after the complainant threw some water at the woman to defend herself the woman turned to Hall and said:”Are you going to do something?”

He said the defendant took a beer bottle from somebody else and threw it with full force across the bar from about two feet away and hit the complainant in the face knocking her to the ground.

Judge Andrew Hatton said the blow immediately opened a significant wound which bled heavily and the victim had to have glass fragments removed when the injury was stitched in hospital.

“You, of course, being a coward ran away from the bar and ran away from pub,” the judge told Hall.

Hall, of Shirley Road, Gomersal, was originally charged with wounding with intent to do grievous bodily harm but his guilty plea to a lesser charge of unlawful wounding was accepted by the prosecution at an earlier court hearing.

Solicitor advocate Safter Salam, for Hall, submitted that although his client had previous convictions it had been an isolated incident and he had expressed remorse to the author of a pre-sentence report.

He said Hall now had a four-month-old child and had arranged for £2000 to be available as compensation for the complainant.

Judge Hatton explained that the maximum prison sentence for unlawful wounding was five years and Hall would have received three years following a trial.

His guilty plea meant that had to be reduced to 25 months, but the judge said the £2000 compensation would also have to be paid within a year.

The judge said the offence was aggravated because Hall was heavily intoxicated at the time and the victim was someone carrying out a public service late at night.

“You are a violent man and a coward and I anticipate you will remain so for the rest of your life,” said the judge.