A Miss England finalist who was glassed and left with facial scars has spoken about her trauma after her attacker escaped a jail sentence.

Olivia Cooke, 23, was left with a shard of glass in her face after being hit with a wine glass by China Gold at the Farmhouse pub in West Malling nearly two years ago.

The beauty pageant contestant and golfer said she suffered depression after the attack from Aylesford resident Gold.

Olivia said: "It's affected me massively but I'm so pleased it's over now.

"It's taken two years, where I've suffered with depression and took a lot of time out of work - I teach children how to play golf, so it took a massive toll on my job as well.

"I got to the finals of Miss England and it affected my placement as I nearly got disqualified for having a court case ongoing.

"I didn't go out for a very long time and it's only recently I've started to go out again, but definitely not back to the same place."

Olivia was left with two scars on her head following the incident in October 2018 after the pair fell out over jibes Gold made about boyfriends.

Gold, of London Road, Aylesford, pleaded not guilty to unlawful wounding but a jury at Maidstone Crown Court convicted her within an hour and she received an 18-month sentence suspended for two years and will carry out 200 hours of unpaid work for the community.

Judge Philip Statman had told the recovery and car repair firm boss to expect an immediate prison sentence, however there was a delay in sentencing caused by the Covid-19 lockdown.

Speaking about the sentence, Olivia said: "It could have been imprisonment, but I never thought she would go to prison anyway due to Covid at the minute and it's her first offence, so I didn't expect anything. But I am glad she got given two years suspended sentence."

Gold was also ordered to pay her victim £7,000 in compensation, with Olivia revealing she is set to receive plastic surgery to make the scars smaller or non-visible.

After sentencing her, the judge said: "Your actions have had a profound effect on your victim, but you are someone who is fragile but on this particular evening the red mist descended on you and you behaved in a way which was unlawful, totally out of character and led to these serious wounds.

"I accept that you are genuinely remorseful for that which you have done."

During the trial, jurors were told the last orders bell had sounded when the row started.

Ms Cooke told the court Gold made a "crude comment", adding: "She just started coming at me verbally, just calling me a slag and a slut and all this, and I am definitely not".

She told the jury how Gold followed her outside the pub, grabbed her by the throat and hit her twice in the ensuing struggle. "One to break the glass and the second one to cause injury," she said.

It left Ms Cooke with two wounds needing five stitches - but Gold claimed she had no memory of the incident and her later account was rejected by the jury.

After the incident Olivia's mum Julie hit Gold, knocking her head against a wall and has admitted a charge of assault. She received an 18-month conditional discharge in July.

Olivia was also charged with assault but no evidence was offered and the charge dropped by the CPS.

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