Woman in Inverness glass attack has sentence halved Published duration 22 March 2018

image copyright Google image caption The assault happened in October 2016 at Inverness' Drumossie Hotel

A woman who hit another woman with a champagne glass during a charity event in Inverness has had her prison sentence reduced by appeal judges.

Deborah Morren, 54, of Muir of Ord, admitted assaulting Gail Macdonald to her severe injury and permanent disfigurement.

She was jailed for 18 months at Inverness Sheriff Court in December last year.

Three appeal judges have now reduced the sentence to nine months.

Lord Justice Clerk, Lady Dorrian, sitting with Lady Clark of Calton and Lord Turnbull at the Court of Criminal Appeal in Edinburgh, rejected a plea to quash the prison term and deal with her by a non-custodial disposal.

Lady Dorrian said the judges were satisfied that Sheriff Margaret Neilson had been entitled to conclude that the serious and unprovoked attack carried out by Morren merited a custodial sentence.

But she said the sheriff's starting point in sentencing, two years before a reduction to reflect her guilty plea, was "excessive".

The charity event involved was a fund-raiser for a hospice at Inverness' Drumossie Hotel on 30 October 2016.

Mrs Macdonald had to have glass shards removed from her upper lip following the assault.

She also required dental work and stitches.