A north-east woman has been jailed after brutally assaulting a former partner with a wooden table leg and metal poles.
Leigh-Ann Paterson’s victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was so badly injured he had to be placed in a medically-induced coma.
The 36-year-old was captured on CCTV as she repeatedly struck him on the head with an array of makeshift weapons.
She was apparently so heavily under the influence of alcohol she had no memory of the assault, which took place in Peterhead’s Windmill Street on February 24 this year.
Police officers found her sitting in an armchair bleeding from wounds to her face and hands and “heavily intoxicated”.
Her victim was found in another room. He was lying on a mattress and covered in blood.
Depute Fiscal Katy Begg told the court he had sustained serious lacerations to his head and was “unable to open his eyes”.
Doctors initially feared he had suffered a serious brain injury, though tests subsequently ruled that out.
The court heard he would, however, live with reminders of the attack for the rest of his life.
Paterson appeared for sentencing at Aberdeen yesterday, having pled guilty to assaulting her former partner to his severe injury and permanent disfigurement.
Ms Begg said: “On February 24, they travelled to Peterhead and made the decision to stay at a friend’s house after missing their bus home.”
Both consumed alcohol, the depute fiscal said – Ms Paterson to the extent that she told the court she “couldn’t remember” the incident that took place a short time later but “accepted she had acted in the fashion described”.
The vicious assault took place outside the property as, using metal poles and a wooden table leg, she repeatedly struck the man on the head.
Police officers who attended a short time later were able to secure camera footage of the entire incident.
Ms Begg said they’d made their way inside the property where the complainer “was found on a mattress and covered in blood”.
“He had lacerations and was unable to open his eyes,” she said.
“The accused was taken to Fraserburgh police station and the complainer to ARI where he was put in a medically induced coma.”
Sheriff Morag McLaughlin described the attack as a “extremely serious offence”, adding: “Given you have a previous violent record, a sentence of imprisonment is inevitable”.
Paterson, who appeared from custody, was given a 31 month prison sentence.
