Woman took a bite out of girl's face

Jane Hunt

A WOMAN who grabbed another woman by the throat and bit off part of her lip during a late night incident in Ipswich town centre has been given a last chance by a judge to sort out her life.

Passing a suspended prison sentence on 25 year old Jodie Gray, Judge John Devaux described the attack on Sasha Hudson as nasty and said Gray couldn't complain if he passed an immediate prison sentence.

However, he said there was some evidence that she was taking steps to sort out her life and he said he was prepared to give her a final chance.

Gray, of London Road, Ipswich, admitted assaulting Miss Hudson causing her actual bodily harm and assault by beating a nightclub doorman on the same night.

She was given a 10 months jail sentence suspended for 18 months and made the subject of a supervision order. She was also ordered to attend an aggression replacement therapy course.

Judge Devaux said he would have liked to make a compensation order but couldn't because Gray didn't have any money.

Michael Crimp, prosecuting, told Ipswich Crown Court that in the early hours of August 21 Miss Hudson had been making a telephone call to a friend outside the Sainsbury store in Ipswich town centre.

Gray, who she didn't know, had come running up to her and had grabbed her by the throat so that she couldn't breath.

She had then pushed Miss Hudson against some railings before grabbing her by both cheeks and biting her face.

After the incident Miss Hudson had gone to a nightclub to get help and when Gray had gone to the nightclub as well she had bitten a doorman, who tried to restrain her, on the arm through his jacket.

Miss Hudson had been taken to hospital where she was found to have a lump missing from the inside of her top lip where she believed Gray had bitten her, said Mr Crimp.

Miss Hudson had two stitches in her lip and had been forced to drink through a straw following the attack.

She also had difficulty in speaking and eating because of the injury.

Joanne Eley, for Gray, said her client had a “host of emotional problems” and these had come to a head on the night in question.

She said Gray deeply regretted the attacks on Miss Hudson and the doorman.

She said Gray had been in a violent relationship and in 2007 had been given a suspended prison sentence after stabbing her partner in the chest with a knife.

Since then two of her children have been adopted and she had recently heard that her third child was also going to be adopted.

Gray was now receiving counselling and doing a college course and was taking steps to address her problems.