Violent attacker’s sentence 'not enough' - Cwmbran victim (From South Wales Argus)

Violent attacker’s sentence 'not enough' - Cwmbran victim

A PENSIONER condemned a community order handed out to a woman who left her fearing for her life, saying it will leave her attacker “laughing”.

IN COURT: Kelly Ham, 21, punched and kicked Violet Phillips in the stomach, face and groin as she lay on the floor, then grabbed her hair and dragged her around like a rag doll

Victim Violet Phillips, 65, from Cwmbran, says she is now too scared to leave her home after Kelly Ham, 21, punched and kicked her in the stomach, face and groin as she lay on the floor, then grabbed her hair and dragged her around like a rag doll.

The violence only stopped when neighbours pulled Ham off the OAP.

The grandmother lost a tooth in the attack on November 18 last year, which began after Ham went round to see her boyfriend Tim Minton, Mrs Phillips’ grandson, at her home, and Mrs Phillips asked her to leave, psoecutor Richard Ace said.

Newport Crown Court heard an altercation ensued and both began to push and pull each other. Ham kept kicking and punching Mrs Phillips, who fell to the ground.

VICTIM: Violet Phillips

Mrs Phillips told the Argus: “She just started attacking me for some reason.

She went mad and wild.

I was thrown around like a rag doll. I felt like I was going to die.”

The grandmother said she was admitted to hospital following the attack and had blood in her urine after being kicked in the kidneys.

She says she suffers from constant pain in her hips and ankles following the attack, in which she also lost a tooth. She says she is also on anti-depressants and has lost confidence to go out on her own.

Ham, 21, of Tydies, Coed Eva, Cwmbran, who admitted a charge of causing actual bodily harm, was given a 12-month community order with a supervision order.

She was ordered to complete a crime reduction course and complete 180 hours of unpaid work.

Mrs Phillips said: “I have no confidence whatsoever. I don’t know what I wanted to see her get, but I know she will be laughing at this.”

Mrs Phillips was taken to the Royal Gwent Hospital, where she was treated for scratches to the face, a lump to the back of the head and bruises to the shoulder.

She also had a bleeding mouth and had a clump of hair ripped out.

Remorseful woman is spared jail

KARL Williams, for Ham, told the court his client had also sustained a bump to the head in the incident.

He said: “She knows that her actions went beyond that which is lawful. She feels remorse for what she did and did not need to be prompted to do so.” He told the court Ham had been the victim of domestic abuse from her now ex-boyfriend Minton, which has been documented.

She had now stopped her drug taking and did not drink to excess any more, he added.

Ham’s only other brush with the police was a caution for being drunk and disorderly.

Recorder Geraint Walters said: “This offence passes the threshold for custody but given the circumstances which we have heard about from your defence I will be giving you a community order.”