A woman who was laughed at in the street grabbed her victim by the hair and repeatedly smashed her face into the ground.
Annalie Hercher left the woman with a concussion and a broken nose that required surgery.
A court heard Hercher, who was drunk at the time of the attack, was “disgusted” by her own behaviour.
Hercher, 28, appeared at Inverness Sheriff Court to admit one count of assault and one of assault to injury and impairment relating to incidents on October 3 of last year.
Fiscal depute Victoria Silver said a man and a woman had been outside the Max’s 2 takeaway in Baron Taylor’s Street, Inverness, at around 3.15am when Hercher approached them.
After a row, Hercher spat in the face of the man. The incident was reported to police.
But just 15 minutes later the accused approached the woman. A comment was made and Hercher asked the woman: “What the f*** did you say?”
Victim told woman she was ‘only joking’
The woman replied: “I was only joking.”
Hercher then grabbed the woman by the hair and tried to punch her, before hitting her head off the ground “two or three times.”
Members of the public stepped in to break up the pair and Hercher’s target was able to get away.
“She was assessed at Raigmore to have suffered a concussion and bruised ribs,” Ms Silver said.
The victim returned to hospital a short time later complaining of nasal pain and investigations found her nose to be deviated in three places and requiring surgery.
The woman also suffered bruising to her face and complained of ongoing issues with her vision in the aftermath of the attack.
‘Disgusted and disappointed’
Solicitor Mike Chapman told Sheriff Eilidh MacDonald that his client was a first offender.
He said: “The incident was out of character and occurred at a time when Miss Hercher had consumed a significant amount of alcohol.”
He added that there was a suggestion she was also suffering from post-natal depression at the time.
“Miss Hercher fully understands that this was an unsavoury incident and she must face the consequence of that,” Mr Chapman said.
“Her behaviour was a response to being laughed at by the complainer and other people,” he said adding: “She is disgusted by her behaviour and disappointed in herself.”
Sheriff MacDonald told Hercher: “The reasonable response to someone laughing at you is not to smash their head off the ground until their nose breaks.”
As a direct alternative to custody, she placed Hercher, of Lord Thurso Court, Thurso, on a community payback order with 150 hours of unpaid work in the community.