A woman has been jailed for her part in an unprovoked assault and robbery at a homeless shelter, in which the victim was beaten with her own shoes.
Gemma Wright, 23, acted alongside Nicola Ritchie, 40, in assaulting and robbing the woman during an unprovoked attack at the shelter on West North Street, Aberdeen.
Aberdeen Sheriff Court heard how the pair pinched the woman’s trainers and beat her with them before punching and kicking her and then taking her jacket, the shoes and a bank card.
Their victim needed medical treatment and her clothing, worth £240, wasn’t recovered.
Both Wright and Ritchie pleaded guilty to assaulting the woman by punching and kicking her to the head before beating her with her own shoes and robbing her.
Pair made victim remove her trainers
Fiscal depute Brian Young said the brutal and unprovoked attack happened after the pair blocked their victim in the stairwell of the temporary housing facility on April 12 last year.
“They positioned themselves in a way that has prevented the complainer from walking away from them,” he said.
“They asked her what she had on her, to which she replied ‘nothing’.
“Both then attempted to physically search her, checked the pockets of her jacket and made her remove her trainers.
“Ritchie at this time has bent down and removed the trainers from the woman’s feet and taken them. She then punched the complainer hard to the head.
“They then variously set about the woman and whilst she was bent forward Ritchie kicked her once on the head.”
The court heard how the pair “shouted and screamed” at their victim as Ritchie kicked her on the head.
“Wright is seen on CCTV repeatedly swinging her arm towards the complainer and Ritchie has used the shoes and struck the woman on the head whilst holding them,” the fiscal added.
Security footage showed Wright taking off her coat before putting the stolen one on and covering it over with her own. Ritchie was still carrying the trainers.
Their victim suffered a bleeding nose and was treated for swelling to her face at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary.
Last week, Sheriff Andrew Miller sentenced Ritchie, of Bon Accord Lane, Aberdeen, to a one-year supervision order and 120 hours of unpaid work.
Sheriff says offence was ‘serious and unpleasant’
Wright’s defence agent Iain Jane told the court that she had a “lack of an overall record” and stated that she had managed to get herself off drugs since being taken into custody.
He added: “Her length of drug misuse was over a relatively short period of time and she has taken the opportunity while on remand to become drug-free and reestablish family relationships.
“I would like all of these things to be taken into account and there is obviously the issue of her young age as well.”
Sheriff Miller told Wright that the “only appropriate outcome is the imposition of a suitable period of imprisonment”.
He added: “I’ve taken regard of the serious and unpleasant nature of this offence, in which you fully took part and involved you and another individual assaulting and robbing a victim.
“You were also subject to two bail orders at the time.”
Sheriff Miller sentenced Wright, of Bon Accord Court, Aberdeen, to eight months in prison.
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