EX-HEALTHCARE WORKER SPARED JAIL FOR BUCKFAST BOTTLE ASSAULT IN PERTH
A former healthcare worker could be blocked from returning to the industry after she smashed a Buckfast bottle over a woman’s head at a house party in Perth.Stephanie O’Brien was spared jail, but ordered to compensate her victim after admitting the assault at her then-boyfriend’s flat.
Perth Sheriff Court heard that the 33-year-old went into a jealous rage, believing her partner was having an affair.
She pled guilty to assaulting the woman to her injury in the early hours of May 15 2022.
O’Brien’s solicitor said the offence had since been reported to the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC), meaning she may be unable to re-enter the sector where she was previously employed.
The court heard that the victim and another woman had gone to O’Brien’s then-boyfriend’s Fortingall Place flat in the early hours of the morning, after a night out drinking.
O’Brien arrived at the top-floor property at about 1.50am and began banging on the door, demanding to be let in.
She appeared “very angry”, according to witnesses.
O’Brien found her then-boyfriend with the two women in the living room.
Prosecutors said an argument erupted because O’Brien thought she was being cheated on.
The victim gathered her belongings and went to leave the flat.
But when she realised she had left her phone, she returned to the living room.
There was a scuffle between the woman and O’Brien.
O’Brien then picked up another guest’s glass Buckfast bottle and struck the woman to the head, causing the bottle to smash.
The woman was seen with blood running down her face.
She called the police and stayed in the living room while O’Brien went to the kitchen.
When officers arrived, the woman was taken to Perth Royal Infirmary where a 2cm cut to her forehead was glued shut.
The defence solicitor said her client had pled to a reduced charge, stemming from an incident more than three years ago, and that the conviction might impact her ability to work in healthcare again.
Sheriff William Wood, acknowledging the alcohol involved, ruled this assault justified a period of custody but opted for alternatives due to her lack of prior record.
O’Brien was ordered to undertake 180 hours of unpaid work and pay £600 in compensation to the victim.
The sheriff added, “It is hoped you won’t be back here again.”
