Beautician jailed over New Year's glassing

A British beautician has been jailed after smashing a champagne glass in another woman’s face during a New Year’s Eve party.

Natalie Simpson lashed out at lawyer Alexandra Wheatley after she saw her talking to her boyfriend, James Henderson.

Mr Henderson broke down in tears in the public gallery as his 25-year-old girlfriend was led away from court to begin a two-year sentence for the unprovoked attack.

Earlier this year, Simpson admitted unlawfully wounding Ms Wheatley during the early hours of January 1, 2014 while both were at a party at the lower level of Pier Six on Front Street.

Director of Public Prosecutions, Rory Field, told the court that during the party, the victim was talking to Simpson’s boyfriend when she was asked by Simpson why she was doing so.

An argument ensued which resulted in Simpson’s boyfriend standing between the two women.

Simpson then threw her drink in Ms Wheatley’s face and then hit her in the face with the glass, cutting Ms Wheatley’s upper and lower lips causing deep lacerations.

According to a bystander, Simpson said she didn’t mean to harm Ms Wheatley, and needed to leave the club right away, however he prevented her from doing so.

He also said he heard her say that she was going to go to prison.

He handed her over to security but when Police arrived Simpson was nowhere to be found.

Just a few hours later Simpson and her boyfriend departed the Island for a planned vacation to New York.

Upon her return to the Island she contacted the Police.

By then, Ms Wheatley had identified Simpson via pictures posted on a social site.

Defense lawyer Marc Daniels said Simpson thought that Ms Wheatley was acting in a flirtatious manner towards her boyfriend and that while the women argued the victim hit out at her and caught her lightly on the chin.

Mr. Daniels said his client was extremely sorry for what she had done and initially did not realize the extent of the injuries she caused.

As he acknowledged that his client had consumed a number of drinks on the night in question, Mr. Daniels said her life had changed significantly since the incident; she had not drank alcohol since that night and had ceased socializing.

He added that Simpson was afraid of what was going to happen to her as Ms Wheatley is a Bermudian lawyer.

Mr. Daniels said his client had written a letter of apology to Ms Wheatley on her own and was willing to pay restitution for any medical costs.

Before being sentenced Simpson apologized and said that she was genuinely sorry for what happened, describing her actions as “the biggest mistake of my life”.

Before passing sentence Justice Charles-Etta Simmons said she was sending out a message that glassing will not be tolerated as it was “easy to do and so prevalent in Bermuda”.

As she called Simpson’s reaction to Ms Wheatley talking to her boyfriend as over the top, Justice Simmons said she felt Simpson deliberately targeted the victim even though her boyfriend stood between the two women.

While she gave credit to Simpson for pleading guilty at the earliest opportunity and having a previously clean record she also took into consideration Ms Wheatley’s permanent scarring, Simpson’s drunkenness on the night, the fact that she ran away from the scene and then her departure from the Island within hours of the incident.

Simpson’s boyfriend had to be consoled by supporters in the courtroom gallery after the sentence was delivered; Simpson remained stoic and did not react.

Time spent in custody is to be taken into consideration.