Jailed for attack on blind woman

A 23-YEAR-OLD former prisoner has been jailed for four months for beating up a blind woman in Ipswich.

Susan Wright of the YMCA, Wellington Street, pounced on Cari Reynolds, 19, as she walked along Norwich Road at night on June 25.

Robert Fadd, prosecuting Ipswich Crown Court, said: "the defendant struck the victim in the left-hand eye with a clenched fist and repeatedly hit her around the head and eye area. She kept saying 'who are you' and the defendant said 'you don't know who I am'".

He said: "Cari Reynolds was partially sighted but she was registered blind. They lived in the same hostel and knew each other and once were friends so her disabilities would have been known to Susan Wright".

He added that Wright had been drinking strong lager before the assault and had gone to her victim's room to apologise to her the next day.

Miss Reynolds suffered bruising, a black eye, cut lip and a lump on her head.

Wright pleaded guilty to common assault.

Helen Booth mitigating said Wright's offending related to drinking alcohol and she had "expressed her shame" over this latest offence.

The court heard that Wright had been released from prison last November and was on licence when she attacked Miss Reynolds.

Wright had been sentenced to two years for robbing a girl in Meredith Road with others, and a consecutive nine months for stabbing a man with a screwdriver and attempting to rob him while she was with others in Lloyds Avenue.

She also had previous offences recorded against her, including theft and taking a vehicle without consent.

Judge Gareth Davies said: "this was an unpleasant assault on a partially sighted person just because you did not like her".

He sentenced Wright to four months and said he would not send her to prison to serve the un-expired portion of her licence, which was about nine months.