A horsewoman who smashed a gin glass in a love rival’s face after a day at the races sobbed as she was spared jail over the drunken attack.
Mia Troake, 22, scarred fellow rider Felicity Calveley after goading her about having previously gone out with her then-boyfriend when the two groups bumped into each other at a bar in Chester in September 2022.
In the moments before the unprovoked attack, Troake confronted Ms Calveley, saying ‘Do you want to f**k my boyfriend?’ – to which the victim flippantly replied: ‘Yeah, I want to f**k him.’
Troake then launched the stemmed glass at Ms Calveley, cutting her upper lip and leaving fragments in her face.
In a statement, estate agent Ms Calveley, from Tarporley, Cheshire, said: ‘The scar on my face is a constant reminder of the attack and often leads to questions from others, forcing me to repeatedly recount the traumatic event.
‘For months after the incident even smiling was painful, severely affecting my ability to express happiness.
‘I have suffered from extreme anxiety. especially in social settings. The sound of breaking glass triggers panic attacks, and I struggle to relax in crowded spaces.’
Ms Calveley described how she has since been diagnosed with mild PTSD and was made redundant after having to take three months off work.
She went on: ‘The attack was perpetrated by my ex-boyfriend’s new girlfriend, someone known to me, adding an additional layer of intimidation and fear. I am concerned about potential interactions or confrontations with her.’
Troake, from Longwell Green near Bristol, faced up to three years jail under sentencing guidelines after she admitted unlawful wounding at Chester Crown Court.
She cried in the dock when the judge sentenced her to 18 months but suspended the jail term for two years and ordered her to complete 100 hours of unpaid work and pay £1,000 in compensation.
Afterwards Ms Calveley, who watched proceedings with her current boyfriend, said: ‘For her to walk away with 100 hours of unpaid work does not affect her in any way.
‘The fact is that she is getting away with it so easily. I am so disappointed that this is the justice I get.’
Tom McLoughln, prosecuting, told the court the incident occurred on September 24, 2022, after Troake then aged 20 and at the time living in Chester, had gone out drinking following the season finale of the city’s races.
‘Felicity Calveley was the ex-partner of the defendant’s boyfriend at the time of the offending,’ he said. ‘On the evening in question, they were in two parties in Church Cafe on Newgate Street in Chester.
‘The relationships between the two groups were civil. They effectively said “Hello” and then parted ways. But a little time later the defendant approached Ms Calveley and appeared to be drunk. The defendant had a gin glass in her hand and asked Ms Calveley, “Do you want to f**k him?” meaning the boyfriend.
‘Ms Calveley said “Yes I want to f**k him” or words to that effect and the situation then escalated dramatically.
‘The defendant hit Ms Calveley to the face with a glass with a gin glass saying “F**k you”. Ms Calveley realised that there was liquid on her face but mistook it to be liquid from the glass. She suddenly realised it was her own blood.’
The court heard Troake gave a prepared statement to police denying the assault, accusing Ms Calveley of being verbally abusive and saying she had acted in self-defence.
Defending, Peter Barnett said: ‘It would seem quite clear that at the time she had insecurity issues in respect for her relationship and the partner she had at the time.
‘Clearly, this assault was impulsive, clearly there was no planning, it was a single blow. She was immature and she had a lack of life experience. She showed clear remorse in discussions with the probation officer.
‘Clearly, she has an interest in racehorses, and it is accepted she had been at the races that day. It is accepted she was intoxicated at the time.
‘But the presentence report says she is a low risk of reoffending, and she is herself aware of how a facial injury can affect you. She unfortunately suffered an injury when she was kicked by a horse and suffered significant facial injuries.’
The judge, Mr Recorder Eric Lamb told Troake: ‘The effects of what you have done to Felicity Calveley have been long-lasting and substantial. For your part, you have been able to move on from the failed relationship. You moved elsewhere in the country and were able to follow your chosen career.
‘By contrast Ms Calveley has made it clear that your actions have resulted in her being beset by anxiety and fear. You have left her with mild PTSD of a sort that she has to undertake cognitive behaviour therapy in an effort to overcome it.
‘Not only has she suffered medically she has also suffered a lot of substantial effects, the impact on her social life, her work was affected for months, it had a direct consequence on her finances. She could not even work for three months. Such has been the impact on her work that she was made redundant.
‘All of that is directly as a result of you drinking too much in the course of one day and choosing to confront someone you plainly saw as your rival.’
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