A woman who carried out two violent street attacks has been ordered to carry out unpaid work in the community.
Ashleigh McAuley, 31, admitted savagely assaulting a man and punching a shop worker in the face while in Aberdeen city centre last year.
Aberdeen Sheriff Court heard how McAuley immediately confessed to both offences as police turned up to arrest her.
She pleaded guilty to assaulting a man outside St Nicholas and Bon Accord Shopping Centre in April last year.
She also admitted stealing alcohol before assaulting an employee at George Street’s Icon Grocers on August 26 last year.
Man was dragged to ground and punched and kicked
Fiscal depute Victoria Kerr told the court that at around 4.10pm on April 29 2020 a witness saw a man being dragged to the ground directly outside the entrance to the St Nicholas Centre.
She added: “The accused proceded to repeatedly punch and kick that male to his head and body.
“The witness who saw this contacted the police and as they cautioned and charged her, Miss McAuley told them: ‘Aye, I hit him in the head.’”
In August last year, McAuley was seen running and hiding behind a bin after being chased by an employee at Icon Grocers, who suspected her of stealing two cans of alcohol.
On being approached and asked what she had taken, McAuley shouted “What’s it got to do with you?” and swore at the woman, before punching another employee, who had arrived on the scene.
The store’s security guard then wrestled her to the ground before calling the police.
The woman who was punched had swelling to her left eye and the right side of her nose.
McAuley then told police: “I punched her because she hit me first, so I hit her back.”
Accused has consumed ‘large amount of alcohol’ before assault
Defence agent Iain McGregor said that his client had consumed a “large amount of alcohol” at the time of the George Street assault.
He also stated that the assault against the man had occurred due to a long-running dispute between McAuley and her victim.
He added: “Alcohol is an ongoing problem in her life and she has amassed a number of different types of offences.
“However, she is now part of a programme and has made some headway with this issue now that she hasn’t done in her recent past.”
Sheriff Mark Stewart QC described McAuley’s crimes as “very bad attacks” that could find her in “serious trouble”.
He sentenced McAuley, of Cairncry Road in Aberdeen, to a community payback order with a three-year supervision requirement and 125 hours of unpaid work.
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