A DRUNKEN woman who scarred her best friend in a vile glassing attack has avoided jail.
Ella Shears, 20, smashed a glass into the face of former pal Maisie Phillips, 21, after downing shots, cider and gin throughout a boozy 24-hour New Year's Day bash.
Cardiff Crown Court heard that she was "the drunkest she had ever been" as she saw in 2022, before launching the attack in a club.
Prosecutor Gareth James said Shears attacked Maisie after leaving her coat inside the Vetz Snooker Club in Bridgend, Wales and going back to get it.
The pair reportedly started rowing and Maisie tried to grab her friend, who shoved her against a wall.
The frightened young woman pushed back, at which point her attacker glassed her in the face.
She was left bleeding and, later, with facial scars.
Shears was arrested days later and claimed to have no memory of the events.
However, she did admit that she "felt like s***" over the attack as her victim was "one of [her] best friends"
She admitted wounding and inflicting grievous bodily harm.
In a victim impact statement, Maisie said: "As soon as the incident happened I was nervous about going outside and didn't want to leave the house.
"I was self conscious about what people may say, I thought my feelings may improve but I still have feelings I don't want to go outside alone or to unfamiliar places due to my facial injuries and visible scarring."
She added that she now often wears her hair down to try and hide the scars out of shame.
The devastated victim continued: "Ella knows where I live, I couldn't face Ella coming near me or my house, I have nightmares of events several months after the incident.
"I am petrified to see Ella in person, I don't think she'll attack me but it's the thought of being face to face with her after what she has done."
Mitigating, Adam Sharp emphasised that Shears was "disgusted with herself" over her actions.
He said: "The defendant, for reasons she can't comprehend, with a glass in her hand has put her arm outwards in a single impact with devastating consequences."
Shears was ordered to pay Maisie £3,000 in compensation and handed a 19-month suspended sentence, but avoided an immediate jail spell.
She was also ordered to complete 250 hours of unpaid work and slapped with a six month curfew between 7pm and 7am.
Sentencing her, Judge David Wynn Morgan said that she was "effectively blind drunk" but that he would suspend the sentence due to her "shame and remorse".
