Natalie Jeffery has been sentenced to a 14-month suspended prison term at Basildon Crown Court, with the term suspended for 18 months

A restaurant owner left a victim fearing she would lose her sight after she smashed her in the face three times with her stilettos in a nightclub attack.

Natalie Jeffery, 24, who avoided jail with a 14-month suspended sentence today, used the shoe to strike Sophie Roberts at Unit 7 nightclub in Basildon, Essex, at 3am one morning.

Ms Roberts, in her 20s, suffered facial injuries in the incident - and did not know 'for a number of days... whether she would recover sight in her left eye'.

Jeffery denied inflicting grievous bodily harm but admitted a charge of unlawful wounding today, which was put to her in an amended indictment on the second day of her trial at Basildon Crown Court.

Prosecutor Andrew Hope said Jeffery's plea was accepted, adding that Ms Roberts was attacked as she bought a bottle of water from the bar while preparing to leave the club with friends.

He said she had been upstairs with one friend for most of the night on September 18 last year, and they had returned downstairs to find the rest of her group who she knew less well.

'She said she went to the bar, ordered a bottle of water, received it and stepped back a little,' said Mr Hope. 'She said as soon as she stepped back she was struck three times to her left eye by someone outside her vision.

'She said she thought she might have been hit by a bottle as her eye was pouring with blood. She heard her friend repeatedly shout "you've got the wrong girl".'

Natalie Jeffery (left), 24, used a shoe to strike Sophie Roberts (right) at Unit 7 nightclub in Basildon at 3am one morning. Right: Ms Robertss's injuries following the attack

Ms Roberts had just come downstairs from another room in the nightclub and was buying a bottle of water while waiting for her friends to leave when she was attacked, the court heard

In a victim impact statement, Ms Roberts said she suffered floaters in her eyes, saw flashing light and had migraines.

'She talks about the hardest part being for a number of days not knowing whether she would recover sight in her left eye,' said Mr Hope.

He added that she said scar tissue on her left eye gave the impression it was slightly lazy.

James Lachkovic, defending, said Jeffery had acted as a 'peacemaker' in an altercation earlier in the night and had taken her shoes off to hold them.

He said Jeffery struck out with her shoes as 'a reaction to having her glasses knocked off' by somebody else.

Ms Roberts, pictured, said blood had streamed from her face and she did not know if she would recover sight in her left eye for several days after the attack, which happened at around 3am

Jeffery used the shoe to strike Sophie Roberts in the face at Unit 7 nightclub in Basildon, Essex

He said she also threw a glass, and added: 'She reacts for about two seconds extremely badly.'

He said Jeffery works at a pizza delivery business, it was an isolated incident and she has no previous convictions.

Jeffery, of Canvey Island, who has long blonde hair and wore glasses and a black dress, spoke only to enter her plea.

Jeffery was sentenced to a 14-month prison term, which was suspended for 18 months.

She was also ordered to complete 200 hours of unpaid work, banned from nightclubs and public houses for nine months, given a six-month curfew and ordered to pay £1,250 compensation to her victim.