A woman who struck a man with a glass bottle inside his caravan at Wynyard, rendering him unconscious, has been sentenced to 18 months behind bars.
A jury found Heidi Chantell Wiles, 45, guilty of one count of wounding and one count of assault.
Supreme Court Justice Tamara Jago said Wiles had visited the man, an acquaintance, at his caravan in the morning and asked him for alcohol and money.
He gave her money and she returned that evening heavily intoxicated.
Wiles became agitated when the pair were unable to play a video of her mother’s funeral. Her mother had died about a week earlier.
Justice Jago said Wiles broke a piece of wood from an item of furniture and forced it down towards the man’s head and neck as he lay on his bed.
The man freed himself and restrained Wiles on the floor. When he released her, she struck him to the head with the wood and with her arm.
Wiles then struck him to the head with a glass bottle, rendering him unconscious. She went to a neighbouring residence and asked the occupants to call police.
The man was placed in an induced coma. Scans revealed no significant brain injury and he was later discharged from hospital.
In a victim impact statement, the man said he had experienced nightmares and had isolated himself from others since the attack.
Justice Jago rejected Wiles’ claim of self-defence, describing the offending as an unprovoked attack carried out with a high degree of recklessness.
“In my view, it is most fortunate that a more grievous injury was not occasioned. That, however, is purely luck,” Justice Jago said.
Justice Jago sentenced Wiles on August 10, backdating the term to July 30. Wiles must serve 10 months before she is eligible for parole.
