Drinks row bottle thug challenges prison term

A WOMAN who carried out a bottle attack in a city pub is appealing against her jail term.

Stevie Devlin, of Gardner Street, also launched an unprovoked attack on a second victim on another occasion a few weeks later.

The 30-year-old was given a prison sentence in December for the assaults, but has now launched an appeal.

Dundee Sheriff Court was told that Devlin could not explain why she had carried out the attacks on the women.

Fiscal depute Isma Mukhtar previously told the court the complainer, Carrie Jones, suspected the accused had taken her drink at the Balcony Bar in Ward Road. When confronted, Devlin denied the allegation.

The complainer decided to walk away, but Devlin then grabbed Ms Jones round the neck and swung the bottle, hitting her on the head and injuring her.

The fiscal said that in the second incident, Devlin had approached her victim from behind and grabbed her by the hair.

Devlin then dragged the woman to the pavement, struggled with her, bit her right finger and scratched her on the neck.

When the police arrived, the accused was shouting at them and threatening them, Ms Mukhtar said.

Devlin admitted that on May 5, at the Balcony Bar, she assaulted Ms Jones, seized her by the neck and struck her on the head with a bottle, to her injury.

She also admitted carrying out the second attack on June 25, at Seagate, and assaulting Fiona Whitcombe, while she was on bail.

Devlin’s lawyer, Richard Gray, previously told the court that his client had no explanation why she had behaved in such a way on the two occasions.

He said: “She has various psychiatric issues but she isn’t able to supply me with any information on why she acted in this way. She just can’t put her finger on why she behaved liked that.”

When sentencing Devlin to six months in prison, Sheriff Alastair Brown said: “If you use a weapon to assault someone in licensed premises, you will almost certainly go to prison.”

He added: “I am satisfied that in this case there is no other option than a custodial sentence and you will go to prison for six months.”

The appeal will be heard at the Court of Criminal Appeal in Edinburgh.