WORCESTER WOMAN NARROWLY AVOIDS JAIL AFTER ASSAULTING GIRLFRIEND IN FRONT OF CHILDREN

A persistent offender, Gemma Payne, who viciously assaulted her girlfriend in front of her three children, has narrowly escaped imprisonment. Payne, aged 25 and residing on Britannia Road in Worcester, previously admitted to assault causing actual bodily harm during a drunken altercation where she punched her victim multiple times and broke her finger. The incident, which took place between June 27 and June 28 of the previous year, involved Payne shouting, knocking, and eventually breaching into the victim’s home while the children were in bed, leading to an escalation of violence including punches to the head. The attack lasted about three hours and the victim suffered a very slight fracture to her hand. Payne claimed she had no recollection of the attack due to intoxication. Despite her past convictions for violence, the court decided on a suspended sentence; Payne received a 16-week jail term suspended for 18 months, along with a community order and rehabilitation requirements. Magistrates emphasized the seriousness of her violence, especially given the presence of children and her history, but opted for support over custody, ordering her to pay costs and a surcharge, and to cooperate with probation. Magistrates warned that she must prevent recurrence of such violence, highlighting that her actions had profoundly affected both the victim and their children.