[A] woman has been given a suspended prison sentence today after assaulting her partner with a glass outside her home on Westmorland Street, Barrow in Furness on 20 October 2017.
Following an argument Melissa Connolly, 43, hit Peter Cairns in the face with a wine glass, causing a 4cm laceration above his right eye, as he tried to leave her home where they had spent the evening together.
Mr Cairns began to record her aggressive behaviour on his mobile phone as she pushed and pulled him before she then struck him with the glass.
Stuart Pattinson for the CPS said: “This is an extremely serious domestic abuse case in which Melissa Connolly carried out an unprovoked attack upon her partner using a glass as a weapon.
“When police arrived Miss Connolly asserted that she was the victim; that the glass hit Mr Cairns in the face when he punched her. However, the footage from Mr. Cairns’ mobile phone proved this to be untrue.
“It is thanks to Peter Cairns’ quick thinking in recording the incident, along with the evidence of those who assisted him at the scene that we were able to build a strong case, leaving Melissa Connolly no other choice than to plead guilty to wounding him.
“Many incidents of domestic violence towards men go unreported, for a variety of reasons. The CPS is committed to securing justice for all victims. I would encourage both male and female victims to report domestic abuse to the police and not suffer in silence.”
Melissa Connolly pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful wounding, contrary to section 20 of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861. She was sentenced at Preston Crown Court to a 13 month prison sentence suspended for two years.
