Pair ‘lunged’ at victim before punching her

TWO women “lunged” at their victim before punching her repeatedly in the face, leaving her battered and bruised following an argument about a purse.

Chantelle Gribble and Francesca Ouaaziz punched the woman so her contact lenses came out of her eyes and she could not see anything during the sustained two-on-one assault.

Sentencing the pair at Cardiff Crown Court, Judge Richard Williams said: “Between them they caused significant bruising, injury, pain and discomfort to the complainant.”

The court heard the incident occurred in Newport Road in Cardiff on July 7 last year.

Joanna James, prosecuting, said Ouaaziz was in the Ernest Willows pub with her partner when they bumped into Sarah Street with her partner and started drinking together.

Prosecutors said the two couples went back to Ouaaziz’s flat in Newport Road and an argument broke out.

Ms James said: “Ms Street discovered her purse was missing from her handbag.”

The court heard Gribble arrived and a fight broke out.

Ms James said: “Both defendants lunged at [Ms Street] and began to punch her repeatedly to the face, pulling her hair.

“She ended up on the ground with both females attacking her and was unable to see anything.”

Police attended and Ms Street was taken to hospital where she was treated for bruising and swelling to her eyes, face, shoulders and arms.

The court heard her contact lenses had been “punched out” and she suffered a cut to her ear lobe.

Gribble was arrested and answered “no comment” to all the questions put to her in her police interview.

In his sentencing remarks Judge Williams said: “[Gribble] became violent without there being a shred of justification for that violence.”

Ouaaziz accepted there was “a scuffle” and told officers she was attacked first.

Gribble, 32, from Beechley Drive in Fairwater, admitted assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

Prosecutors said she had been before the courts for five previous offences including robbery in 2004 and battery in 2016.

She was in breach of a two-year conditional discharge imposed for the battery offence.

The court heard on that occasion she headbutted the victim and punched her several times when she would not look after her child.

Derrick Gooden, defending, told the court his client had made “good progress” in custody.

She was jailed for eight months but had already served the equivalent on remand so was released immediately.

Ouaaziz, 41, from Newport Road, denied assault occasioning actual bodily harm but was found guilty by a jury after trial.

Prosecutors said she had been before the courts for three previous offences.

In 2012 she was given a community order for battery after pulling Gribble to the ground and stamping on her, causing her facial injuries.

Kevin Seal, defending, said she completed that sentence without any breaches, including all the unpaid work and supervised sessions.

He said this matter had been “hanging over her head” causing her “trepidation and anxiety” as she worried about going to prison for the first time.

The judge told her: “You have shown no remorse whatsoever in relation to what you did. Self-pity, but they are quite different concepts.”

He added: “This was a sustained assault by two people on to one.”

Ouaaziz was jailed for 10 months.