A young mother has been been found guilty of slitting the throat of Ground Force star Tommy Walsh's daughter, in a verdict described as ‘satisfying’ by the celebrity builder.
Leanne Bloomfield,
28, was convicted of wounding with intent after she used a shard of
glass to slash Natalie Walsh, 22, upwards from her neck to her chin at
Cafe De Paris near Leicester Square in central London.
The
mother-of-two attacked Ms Walsh with such ferocity on February 4 last
year that the student required plastic surgery and therapy to get over
the assault.
After the verdict, Mr Walsh, who was
in court with his wife and son, condemned the defendant’s 'laddish'
behaviour during the assault on February 3.
The
celebrity builder, who became famous in the BBC’s gardening show Ground
Force with Charlie Dimmock, said his daughter, who was not in court
today, had undergone plastic surgery and therapy following the attack.
During the trial, Southwark Crown
Court heard how Bloomfield pulled Miss Walsh's hair back before
attacking her at the cabaret club, favoured by stars from Made In
Chelsea and TOWIE.
She also
kicked the 22-year-old, as she lay on the ground, and later texted a
friend to say she'd had a 'massive punch up with some girl', adding: 'ha
ha, b****, she got me good in the nose through'.
Bloomfield allegedly went on to say: 'Me and my sister did a number on her, she was in a heap. They didn't catch me, ha ha.'
But
she was caught because her Santander bank card had fallen into Ms
Walsh's bag after their belongings spilled onto the floor during the
row.
Ms Walsh also suffered
a 'nasty cut' to her thumb, and needed an operation for a severed
tendon, as well as treatment for the cut to her throat.
Speaking about the verdict, Mr Walsh said: 'Pleased isn’t the right word. Satisfied...There are no winners in this. The only winner is justice has been seen to be done.'
He
added: 'It was really tough but we are a really close knit family... We
can move on. We've no interest in what happens from here.'
Mr Walsh said Broomfield 'didn’t appear remorseful or contrite' following the attack.
'She has two children. You should think about your behaviour before you go and behave drunkenly or laddishly,' he added.
Mr
Walsh said his daughter had achieved a first in her medicine degree at
Kings University in central London despite deferring her final exams
after the attack.
After the
verdict was read out, Broomfield, from Colchester in Essex, turned to
the jury and said: 'I didn’t do it', before breaking down in tears.
As she continued to protest her innocence, Judge Peter Susman QC told the defendant 'please be quiet'.
He
adjourned sentencing to February 7, adding he had 'no choice but to
impose a prison sentence' but granting bail until that point.
He said: 'You must make arrangements for your children’s welfare on the basis you are going to prison.'
The
court heard that Broomfield had previously been cautioned by police in
August 2004 for common assault after a fight with a woman in a street.
