Beauty Therapist 'Glassed' Woman On Pub Dancefloor

Glass: Jennifer Hawkins

A beauty therapist smashed a glass into the eye of another woman on a pub dance floor, claiming the university graduate victim was deliberately moving in an “overly sexual way”, a court heard yesterday.

Jennifer Hawkins, 35, was caught at 2am on the pub’s CCTV thrusting her glass into the face of 30 year-old Faye Evans, who needed surgery and suffered permanent eye damage.

The graduate denied there was anything sexual about her moves, telling a Kingston-upon-Thames Crown Court jury she was merely dancing the same way she once did with her student pals.

Hawkins, of Kingston Road, Raynes Park has pleaded not guilty to inflicting grievous bodily harm, with intent, at The Bedford, Balham on January 27, 2019.

She has already pleaded guilty to a lesser count of simply wounding Ms Evans, who told the jury her pupil was scarred and she needed surgery to remove glass debris from her cornea.

Hawkins, who had four vodkas and champagne that night, claims she was simply trying to push Ms Evans away and forgot she had a glass in her hand.

“I just remember having a little dance and the next thing I was on the floor and felt blood coming down my face,” Ms Evans told the trial.

“It was like waking up from a dream and there was chaos around me. Blood was streaming down my face and going into my mouth and I had to spit it out.

Dancing: Faye Evans

“It felt like my face had been ripped apart and for a long time I could not see out of my left eye.

“I needed stitches for the laceration and they had to check if glass had gone into my head. It had cut through a nerve and muscle so the next day I had to go into surgery.

“I was cut through to the bone and still have numbness and a tingly sensation and if I am brushing my hair I get a shooting pain in the forehead.

“They said if it had been in the centre of the pupil I would have gone blind and I have been left with blurred vision.

“My eyesight is badly impaired and I struggle with everyday work and reading.”

After viewing the CCTV footage Ms Evans added: “It makes me sick when I watch it, sick and disgusted.

“It was such an evil thing to do to someone and has ripped me apart psychologically.”

Five foot, eleven inch tall Ms Evans herself had three gin and tonics, wine and Sambuca and denied being “aggressive” towards the shorter five foot, two inch tall Hawkins.

The defendant claims the former hockey player was “breathing heavily, smelling of alcohol, drunk and intimidating,” which Ms Evans denied.

She also denied a defence claim she was “taking the Mickey” out of Hawkins.

The CCTV footage showed Hawkins twice push Ms Evans away and the victim denied leaning in to the defendant, saying: “Who the f*** do you think you are, pushing me.”

Prosecutor Mark Mullins told the jury: “The issue is when Ms Hawkins thrust that glass into Ms Evans’ face did she intend to cause very, very serious harm.”

Ms Evans had joined a large group of ten friends at the pub and at 2am was chatting to a young man on the dance floor, near Hawkins.

The victim also spoke with Hawkins. “All of a sudden the defendant swung her arm and struck the side of Ms Evans’ face and when she saw blood she ran away.

“A security guard saw Ms Evans stumble back, knocking glasses off a table and she fell over. she had two cuts to her forehead and there was blood all over her face.”

Hawkins was arrested and questioned at Wandsworth Police Station. “She said she was tipsy and that she was dancing when Ms Evans came between her and her friend.

“She said there may have been a bit of jealousy and she did nudge her out of the way and Ms Evan came back towards her and said: ‘F***ing bitch’.

“She said she pushed her out of the way, not noticing she had a glass in her hand.”

Trial continues……………