- As victim was taken to hospital, thug went on to party at a nightclub
- Initially denied attack and only pleaded guilty to charge on day of her trial
- Defence barrister says she is genuinely remorseful and has 'learnt her lesson'
Charlotte Davies, 26, had been out celebrating a friend's birthday in Manchester after a days' filming for the Channel 4 teen soap in March last year when she was injured by Sarah Harding (pictured)
Charlotte Davies, 26, had been out celebrating a friend's birthday in Manchester after a days' filming for the Channel 4 teen soap in March last year when she was injured by Sarah Harding, 21.
Charlotte was sent reeling with blood pouring from her left eye after Harding - who was said to have been 'fuelled by anger and drink' - smashed the glass against her head after a row over flirting.
As a female friend of Charlotte - who has also appeared as extra in Coronation Street - tried to stop the attacker escaping out of the trendy Living Room bar in the city centre, Harding allegedly said to her: 'Do you want it as well?'
Harding then fled the scene of the attack and carried on partying at the Coliseum nightclub while Miss Davies was rushed to hospital.
The following day Harding attended a police station, where she lied that the victim had run on to the jagged stem of the glass.
She finally pleaded guilty to wounding on the day her trial for the more serious charge of wounding with intent was due to begin.
Harding, of Bolton, Greater Manchester, was cleared of wounding with intent last month.
The court heard the left eye of Davies was swollen and tense' and completely unresponsive to light when she arrived in hospital.
Despite doctors' efforts she remains irreparably blind in her left eye and she spent ten days at the hospital 'adapting to the psychological effects of partial blindness' and undergoing corrective surgery.
She now suffers a squint and has mis-matched pupils.
Miss Davies, pictured before and after the attack, is now permanently blind in her left eye. She still has shards of glass embedded in it
The incident occurred during a girls night out on March 27 last year after Charlotte had just finishing filming a role for Hollyoaks.
She went for a meal to the Living Room to celebrate the birthday of her best friend Simone Yates but an argument ensued after Harding joined the group after being invited out by a friend of Charlotte's after they met two weeeks earlier.
Two men at the bar bought cocktails for two of the other women in the party and Harding was said to have taken exception to it and a row erupted with Charlotte which continued in the ladies toilets.
Miss Davies was touching up her make-up at the time. She was hit by the glass when she turned from the mirror, describing the attack as 'like a shot of lightning in my face'.
The attack happened in Manchester's Living Room in the city's Deansgate area
She was permanently blinded in her left eye, which still has shards of glass embedded in it, and has been left psychologically scarred by the attack.
She said in a statement: 'There's not a single part of my life that has not been affected as a direct result of this assault.
'I'm not sure if I will ever fully recover from its effects, which have been mental, emotional, physical and financial'
'I'm not sure if I will ever fully recover from its effects, which have been mental, emotional, physical and financial.
'My whole life has changed and I'm not the same person I used to be'.
Prosecutors claimed Harding dropped her wine glass which broke but she continued to drink from it then hurled it at the actress as if she were 'throwing a cricket ball'.
But Harding told the jury it was just an 'unfortunate' coincidence that the glass hit Charlotte.
She said the base of the wine glass broke off when she attempted to put it down as the row escalated.
She said she had carried on drinking from it before throwing it in 'frustration' because Miss Davies and her friends had 'ganged up' on her.
She added: 'It wasn't meant to hit her. I just sort of let it go in the heat of the moment. I didn't aim it at her face.
'I heard someone shout something but I didn't know that I'd hit anyone. I heard someone scream something like "What have you done?" but that was the most I knew.'
Asked in court how she felt about what she had done, Harding said: 'Awful, obviously. I wouldn't wish it on anyone. I can only imagine what it's like.'
Harding had claimed she had accidentally injured Charlotte and last month she collapsed onto her chair and sobbed as a jury unanimously cleared her of wounding with intent after just four hours deliberation.
After the verdict Harding was released on conditional bail and said: 'I'm so relieved that the jury believed what had happened and not what didn't really happen.
'I'm so glad. There's still the sentencing though, and this is by far the scariest thing that has ever happened to me.'
Her mother Carolyn, 46, said: 'I know my daughter and this isn't something she would have done on purpose. She's never had any problems or done anything even remotely similar to this. It was a mistake and the jury saw that.'
But Susan Rebello, 54, the mother of Charlotte was unhappy with the verdict, saying: 'I'm furious at the verdict - I can't believe it and I do not accept it. When you whizz a broken glass at the best part of 100mph at someone, how can you say you didn't intend to cause harm?
'It's disgusting. This has hurt my whole family.'
Harding, who had admitted assault occasioning grevious bodily harm, was warned to expect a custodial sentence and was back in court yesterday where she was sentenced to 27 months in jail.
Prosecutor Neil Usher told Manchester Crown Court Miss Davies has not acted since the attack and is plagued by flashbacks, anxiety, and insecurity about her eyes, which she had considered her 'best feature'.
Bernadette Baxter, defending, said the incident had been a 'tragedy for all involved'.
She said Harding was genuinely remorseful, had 'learnt her lesson', and would find prison 'extremely difficult'.
Sentencing, Judge David Hernandez said: 'You lost control of yourself, you were ready for a fight. What you then did has led to a change in your life, but more significantly a change in the life of Charlotte Davies. A grave injury was caused - and a life was ruined.'
Detective Constable Emma Hulston, said: 'A group of women were having an enjoyable evening out when, for whatever reason, Sarah Harding flew into a rage.
'The victim bore the brunt of this aggression and has suffered permanent, life changing injuries as a result.
'Alcohol was certainly a factor in this case and it is sad that what should have been a pleasant time for all involved has resulted in one woman being blinded in one eye and another going to prison.'
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