A north-east woman was left with a fractured eye socket after she was punched by a man she snubbed in a city bar.
Samantha Hand was enjoying a night out with friends in Prohibition, Aberdeen, when Ilya Ostrapcuks approached her group.
The young woman soon made it clear she had no interest in him as he attempted to “make advances” towards her.
But the 33-year-old refused to go away and continued to loiter in the nearby area.
Around ten minutes later, as the group attempted to leave, he launched a punch at Miss Hand’s head – knocking her to the ground with such force her friends thought she was unconscious.
Last night Miss Hand said she had been traumatised by the incident was now scared to go out without her boyfriend.
She said because she could not remember what her attacker looked like she feared he could be watching her at anytime and she would not know.
Yesterday Ostrapcuks appeared at Aberdeen Sheriff Court where he admitted carrying out the brutal attack on May 29 last year.
Speaking to the Press and Journal Miss Hand said she was relieved she was not going to be forced to give evidence at a trial.
She said: “It is a great relief he pleaded guilty, when something like this happens you think you are going mad and you just don’t know what happened.
“I don’t remember anything from the night, I don’t know what he looks like and if it hadn’t been for my friends I don’t think they’d have got him.”
The court heard shortly after the attack Miss Hand was able to get back onto her feet before paramedics took her to be treated at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary.
It was there doctors discovered the 20-year-old had been left with a shattered eye socket.
Bouncers at the pub grabbed hold of Ostrapcuks and contacted the police.
And when officers quizzed Miss Hand about the incident she said she could not remember what happened.
Last night she said the incident had a significant impact on her life.
She said: “It put me off going out completely, I never go on girls’ nights out anymore I always take my boyfriend with me.
“I was worried because I did not know what he looked like, but he obviously saw me.
“I was worried he would know who I am even though I got told by the police he had been banned from going into certain zones in Aberdeen.
“The eye is still tender to touch.
“It took around eight months to look normal again.
“I work as a home carer and it was hard to do with a black eye during that time.
“The doctors cannot put a time on when it will heal.”
Fiscal depute David Thorburn told the court the incident happened at around 12.20am.
He said: “The accused appeared to be attempting to make approaches.
“At 12.33am as the group prepared to leave the accused punched the complainer on the right hand side of her face and she fell to the ground.
“People thought she had been left in an unconscious state but she got back up shortly after.
“Staff contacted the police and the accused was detained.
“She was taken to ARI where she was given an x-ray which showed she had sustained a fracture to her right eye socket.”
The court heard that Osctrapcuks, whose address was given as Ferrier Crescent in Aberdeen, had never been in trouble with the law before.
Sheriff Christine McCrossan deferred sentence to allow a background report to be obtained.
But she said the incident would stay with Miss Hind for the rest of her life.
She said to Ostrapcuks: “To do this to a young lady on a night out is a serious matter.
“She is going to have this for the rest of her life.”
Ostrapcuks will return to court to be sentenced on June 9.
Miss Hand added: “I hope he goes to jail, people like that deserve it.
“I did nothing, I was on a night out with my friends, one minute I was in the club and the next I was in the back of an ambulance.”
