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A woman who struck her boyfriend’s ex in the head with a stiletto shoe-shaped designer perfume bottle during an ugly row in a Poundbury park has avoided jail.
Jessica Baker, 20, was in a relationship with the former boyfriend of victim Amelia Duckworth when the two women got into a social media spat about him.
Their rivalry ‘heated up’ to the point where Baker met Miss Duckworth for a showdown in a park at King Charles‘ model village of Poundbury.
The young mother-of-one brought the distinctive Carolina Herrera glass perfume bottle with her and concealed it behind her back.
A court heard she told Miss Duckworth that ‘I’m going to do you in’ then produced the bottle and lunged at her, striking her twice across the head and slashing her face.
The victim, covered in blood and suffering a concussion, was taken to hospital where she received stitches for a gash between her eyes and her scalp was glued.
Baker appeared at Bournemouth Crown Court where she pleaded guilty to one count of actual bodily harm and another for possession of an offensive weapon.
She has been sentenced to 12 months imprisonment, suspended for two years on condition of a two-month curfew between 9pm and 7am.
Baker (pictured) met Amelia Duckworth for a showdown in a park in Poundbury. Baker told Miss Duckworth ‘I’m going to do you in’ and then produced the glass stiletto-shaped perfume bottle and lunged at her with it, striking her twice across the head and slashing her face
Miss Duckworth (pictured after the attack) was covered in blood and suffering a concussion when she was taken to hospital where she received stitches for a gash between her eyes. Her scalp was also glued
Amelia Duckworth’s injuries are pictured after the August 2021 attack which left her ‘traumatised’ and afraid to go out
Amelia Duckworth’s injuries after the attack. The court heard Baker met Miss Duckworth on the green in Poundbury on August 24, 2021 intending to harm her
The court heard Baker met Ms Duckworth on the green in Poundbury on August 24, 2021 intending to harm her.
‘Amelia Duckworth had been in a relationship which ended in November 2020. Her ex-partner then got into a relationship with the defendant,’ Rob Griffiths, prosecuting, said.
Pictured: A Carolina Herrera Very Good Girl Eau de Parfum bottle – similar to the one used during the attack
‘It seems that the ex had been telling the defendant about problems during his relationship with Miss Duckworth, and the defendant contacted Miss Duckworth to take issue about it.
‘Miss Duckworth’s response was to post some pictures of herself on Instagram, taken while she was in the original relationship and including a video of her being pushed by her ex.
‘It culminated on August 24 when Miss Duckworth, her new boyfriend and her cousin, Georgia Hooper, were at Poundbury.
‘The defendant turned up. A witness saw her walking along the street. He described her as ‘walking with a purpose’.
‘She had a phone in her hand and, in his words, was staring at the phone, ‘gobbing off, effing and blinding’.
‘Miss Hooper said to the defendant ‘if you have something to say, just say it then’ and she responded, ‘I’m going to do you in.’
Jessica Baker, 20, (pictured leaving Bournemouth Crown Court) has avoided jail after she struck her boyfriend’s ex in the head with a stiletto shoe-shaped perfume bottle during an ugly row in a Poundbury park
Baker was in a relationship with the ex-boyfriend of victim Amelia Duckworth (pictured) when the two women got into a social media spat about him. Their rivalry ‘heated up’ to the point where the pair met up for a showdown in the park
Miss Hopper reportedly took photos of the moment Baker launched her attack.
‘The defendant pulled something out from behind her and went for Miss Hooper, and then struck Miss Duckworth,’ Mr Griffiths added.
‘She got two blows to the back of the head and was then hit in the face by what turned out to be a perfume bottle shaped like a stiletto, which the defendant brought with her from the car.’
The victim was left covered in blood and suffering with concussion. Her boyfriend pressed his jumper to her head to slow the bleeding.
Mr Griffiths continued: ‘Miss Duckworth was taken to hospital. She had a large cut to the nose which needed butterfly stitches. The wound to the head needed glueing.
‘She suffered concussion and was sick’.
In a victim impact statement read to court by Mr Griffiths, Miss Duckworth said she had been left ‘traumatised’ by the event and felt afraid to go out.
Pictured: King Charles’ model village of Poundbury. Rebecca Fairbairn, defending, said Baker pleaded guilty at the first opportunity and felt ‘genuinely remorseful’
Rebecca Fairbairn, defending, said Baker pleaded guilty at the first opportunity and felt ‘genuinely remorseful.’
She said her client had been ‘taunted’ by phone calls and texts from friends of Miss Duckworth and that it ‘just got too much’.
She said: ‘It is the involvement of known and unknown parties that really increased the temperature in this case.
‘She had hundreds of phone calls from unknown numbers. It just got too much given her own issues.
‘She has genuine remorse. She knows that Miss Duckworth will live with the consequences for the rest of her life – as will Ms Baker.
‘Ms Baker is still having issues and she was spat at the other day’.
Baker (pictured leaving Bournemouth Crown Court) was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment suspended for two years on condition of two month curfew between 9pm and 7am. She was made to pay a £156 victim surcharge and subjected to a two year restraining order. The judge also ordered the forfeiture and destruction of the perfume bottle used to attack Miss Duckworth
Judge Stephen Climie sentenced Baker to 12 months imprisonment suspended for two years on condition of two month curfew between 9pm and 7am.
She was made to pay a £156 victim surcharge and subjected to a two year restraining order.
The judge also ordered the forfeiture and destruction of the perfume bottle used to attack Miss Duckworth.
He told Baker: ‘You are just 20-years-old. On the occasion of this incident you found yourself in a state of mind that was caused in part by provocation by others and issues in your personal life.
‘You decided to take the law into your own hands and attack someone. This is a case which comfortably crosses the custody threshold.
‘If you commit an offence in the next two years you will give me no choice but to send you to prison.
‘Social media is a wonderful asset in society. There are some that say we do not adequately prepare your generation for its use.
‘Learn to walk away – you don’t have to read everything. Don’t come back’.
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