Woman guilty of Miss England finalist glass attack Published duration 12 March

image copyright PA Media image caption China Gold denied wounding model Olivia Cooke with a wine glass

A woman who smashed a wine glass into a Miss England finalist's face during a row at a bar has been convicted of unlawful wounding.

China Gold, 27, caused "horrific" injuries and left professional golfer Olivia Cooke, 21, with glass embedded in her forehead and needing stitches.

Maidstone Crown Court heard the women were at the Farm House pub in West Malling, Kent, on 19 October 2018.

Gold, of London Road, Ditton, is due to be sentenced on 27 April.

Judge Philip Statman told Gold it was "a very serious matter" with a starting point of three years in prison.

He agreed to a request for a pre-sentence report for Gold from her defence barrister.

During the trial, jurors were told the last orders bell had sounded when the row started.

Ms Cooke told the court Gold made a "crude comment" and started "coming at me verbally, just calling me a slag and a slut and all this, and I am definitely not".

She said Gold followed her outside the pub, grabbed her by the throat, and hit her twice in the ensuing struggle, "one to break the glass and the second one to cause injury".

image copyright Miss England image caption Olivia Cooke was attacked by China Gold in a West Malling pub

Prosecutor Emin Kandola said it was not in dispute Gold caused the injuries, but said the defendant claimed to have been acting in self-defence.

Defence barrister Robin Griffiths suggested to Ms Cooke during cross-examination that she was the one who had confronted Gold.

"You weren't prepared to let it go, you went after her," he said.

"I did not," Ms Cooke replied.

Mr Griffiths suggested Gold had thrown the glass at Ms Cooke, and did not strike her twice with it.

Ms Cooke told jurors she had no glass in her hand at that point. She also said Gold did not throw the glass.

Related Topics West Malling