Attackers face stiffer sentences
TWO men have appeared in court after a cowardly attack which left a woman ‘out cold’ on a pavement in Ormskirk.
Katie MacDonald, 20, from Southport, was left bloodied and numb after being struck by a bottle in the cowardly attack in Railway Road on January 18.
Her attackers Charlie Lawton, 24, of Cottage Lane, and David Moran, 22, of Redgate, appeared at Preston Magistrates’ Court to be sentenced but the court ruled the attack on Katie was so serious it did not have sufficient sentencing powers and referred the case to crown court.
Ms Yates, prosecuting, told the court on January 18, Katie had been out with friends at the Alpine Bar in Railway Road.
The bar was busy and a group of men started barging into her friends.
An argument broke out and someone threw the contents of his drink over one of Katie’s friends.
“She was stuck in the middle, trying to calm things down,” Ms Yates told the court.
As the group left the bar, Katie saw one of the men pick up a glass bottle from a nearby wall, and heard them talking about “getting” one of the men she was with.
Ms Yates said: “She shouted the group and walked over and told them to pack it in.
“The male told her to ‘move, you stupid slag’, she felt herself moving back, saw something green and felt a blow to her face.
“She woke up on the pavement. She was in a lot of pain and her nose felt numb.”
Katie was taken to hospital where she had an x-ray for swelling to her nose, which was not broken.
She had a number of cuts and bruises to her face.
Ms Yates said: “This appears to be a group incident with these two defendants, and I accept there was a previous incident with Katie’s friend, who seems to have added fuel to the fire.”
Following arrest, Lawton told officers he had been assaulted by Katie’s friend and couldn’t remember what happened.
He said: “If I’ve assaulted her, I’m really sorry. It’s not something I would do.”
After hearing the case, the district judge said it was too serious to be dealt with in the magistrates court.
He granted Lawton and Moran unconditional bail and ordered them to attend Preston Crown Court on November 18 to be sentenced.