Woman tore part of scalp in ferocious pub attack

protect the victim’.

By the time the defendant was pulled off Miss Linford, she had ripped out a ‘clump of hair and piece of scalp’.

In police interview Brown claimed the other parties had been provoking her but then expressed ‘shame’ when shown what she had done.

The court heard the victim Miss Linford has suffered a loss of self-confidence and earnings because of the attack.

In addition, it made her feel distress due to the appearance of the bald patch where her hair had been pulled out.

Brown pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm on the morning of trial, March 16, 2017.

Simon Christie, defending, said his client had no previous convictions, had pleaded guilty, works ‘very hard for the community’ and that the incident was ‘wholly out of character’.

Among those attesting to her previous good character were Cheshire police, who wrote a letter for the defence.

His Honour Patrick Thompson sentenced Brown to 10 months in prison, suspended for two years, with a rehabilitation requirement, 150 hours unpaid work and £1,000 to pay in compensation plus £500 costs. He also imposed a restraining order banning her from contacting or approaching Zoe Linford or commenting about her on social media for 10 years.

Judge Thompson said she had “come very close to going to prison.

“It was a ferocious, vicious and nasty assault.”

Speaking after the hearing about the sentence, Miss Linford, now 24, spoke about how she fears encountering Brown again when out.

She said: “It’s the thought of me going out and seeing her, it’s going to bring all those memories back. You’re never safe on the streets any more. I’ve never been out again in Runcorn and I don’t plan to either.”