Disgraced TV star in court
FORMER GEORDIE SHORE STAR’S CAREER IN TATTERS
FORMER Geordie Shore star Chantelle Connelly’s career lies in ruins after she was convicted of attacking a love rival in a row over her ex-boyfriend.
The disgraced reality TV star launched a vicious attack on Lauren Alexander outside Powerhouse nightclub in Newcastle city centre after accusing her of seeing her former lover Tommy Sayers.
Connelly hit her 22-year-old victim in the face, causing her to split her lip on a wall and break two bones in her wrist after falling to the ground.
The 27-year-old then fled the scene while Ms Alexander was taken to Newcastle’s Royal Victoria Infirmary, where she needed stitches to her lip and a cast on her arm.
Connelly continues to deny the offence but was convicted of grievous bodily harm without intent following a trial.
On Tuesday Connelly was sentenced at Newcastle Magistrates’ Court, where magistrates heard the conviction would be “catastrophic” for her finances.
Defending, John Wesencraft, said: “The consequences for Ms Connelly, certainly financially and commercially, are severe and have already started to manifest themselves.
“Prior to the incident she was a member of the Geordie Shore cast. That gave her a certain celebrity. With that comes the opportunity to make money.”
He then explained how Connelly’s main source of income came from advertising products on her social media channels, especially Instagram.
But the work had now dried up, Mr Wesencraft said.
He added: “Prior to these proceedings her income was substantial but it has roughly halved since these proceedings. She has largely been dropped by people putting work in her direction. This occurred once the proceedings were known, not once she was convicted.
“There will be a quite catastrophic effect on her income as a result of these proceedings.”
And the court was told Connelly was already not making enough money to cover her monthly outgoings and she had been “chased by the banks”.
During her trial, Connelly had argued the incident, which happened in October last year, was a case of mistaken identity and it was a lookalike who carried out the attack.
But magistrates found it was Connelly who grabbed Ms Alexander’s phone and started going through it before lashing out and punching her in the face. The court heard the attack had changed the victim from an outgoing person to someone who suffers from anxiety and needs medication to sleep. Handing Connelly, of Weldon Crescent, High Heaton, a 12-month community order involving 200 hours of unpaid work, chair of the bench Leswyn McCallum said: “The victim suffered serious injuries that required immediate and ongoing treatment, this was as well as the effect on her mental health.”
Connelly was also ordered to pay £2,500 compensation, £620 court costs and an £85 victim surcharge.
The consequences for Ms Connelly, certainly financially and commercially, are severe