A racist woman who carried out a violent and unprovoked street attack on a group of refugees from Afghanistan has been jailed.
Sarah Craig attacked two female strangers who had fled Afghanistan in search of safer, better lives in the UK.
The 38-year-old kicked and punched both women on the body and head in the attack, which took place outside a city centre hotel.
Appearing in court for sentencing today, her defence agent said she has since written a letter to her victims apologising for her behaviour.
Accused was ‘highly agitated’
Fiscal depute Jennifer Pritchard said a group of three refugees left the Copthorne Hotel on Huntly Street around 3.20pm on October 17 last year to go for a walk.
A witness then spotted the group and Craig walking towards each other and crossing paths.
Craig was then seen to approach the group and “without any reason began to remonstrate” with one of them.
Another member of the group tried to intervene and Craig started punching and kicking her to the head.
Craig then turned her attention to another woman in the group and kicked and punched her in the head, causing her to fall to the ground.
Wound had to be glued shut
One witness then contacted the police and another group of witnesses summoned first aid assistance from hotel staff.
Ms Pritchard told the court Craig remained nearby in a “highly agitated” state and shouting.
The complainers were unaware of what Craig was shouting or why she had attacked them.
The other group of witnesses approached and attempted to speak to Craig, during which she called them “monkeys”.
Police attended and traced and arrested Craig, who again called a witness a “monkey” while being placed in the police van.
One of Craig’s victims suffered a 2-3cm laceration to her left temple which needed glue and Steri strips to close and has left a scar.
Craig, who appeared from custody, pled guilty to assault, assault to injury and permanent disfigurement and acting in a racially aggravated manner.
Wrote letter of apology to victims
Her defence agent John Hardie said his client “fully accepts her guilt” but has little recollection of parts of the incident.
“She wrote a letter for the attention of the complainers expressing her remorse for her actions,” he said.
“And she acknowledges the effect this incident must have had on them. This letter was written before her court appearance and speaks to her remorse so far as these offences are concerned.”
The solicitor added that Craig has suffered “a lifelong struggle with controlled drugs” which speaks to her “long history of offending”.
She had been suffering poor mental health at the time and had been “self-medicating”, the court also heard.
‘Nasty unprovoked assaults’
Sheriff Ian Wallace told her: “These were hasty unprovoked assaults against refugees who have come to this country.
“You continued to act in an aggressive manner after that too.
“Your violence against these vulnerable people will have had a lasting impact.
“Only a custodial sentence is appropriate.”
He jailed Craig, a prisoner of HMP Grampian, for 12 months with that sentence backdated to her remand date of October 2022.
She will also be subject to a six-month supervised release order upon her liberation.
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