AN ALCOHOLIC who claimed she was offended by a karaoke singer's T-shirt smashed a glass over his head and then thrust the jagged remains into his face.

The blows left the victim, Simon Singleton, with a gaping head wound, cuts down to the bone, no feeling to the left side of his face, as well as hearing and balance problems.

Susan Barber, of Burton Stone Lane, York, admitted wounding with intent and was jailed for five years at York Crown Court.

The Honorary Recorder of York, Judge Paul Hoffman, told the 46-year-old, formerly known as Moynihan: "I cannot recall in many a long year a case as bad and serious as this in terms of what the attacker has done to the victim."

The incident at the Corner House pub in Burton Stone Lane, York, on March 21, 2004, followed a karaoke performance by Mr Singleton after which he said Barber had made derogatory remarks about his singing.

Ben Crosland, prosecuting, said Mr Singleton responded by calling her "a silly cow" and told her to "shut up".

Barber insisted the argument started because she was offended by his FCUK branded T-shirt.

A witness, Gary Dobson, said he saw Barber hit a glass against Mr Singleton's ear and hit him again with the smashed remains.

"Pandemonium broke out. There was a gaping wound to his head."

The police arrived to find Mr Singleton with "severe" head cuts while Barber was on the floor "in the recovery position", claiming she had been beaten up. Both went to hospital.

Glass was removed from Mr Singleton's head wound and other cuts "which were through to the bone" were cleaned up. He also had a cut near his left ear which extended to the neck. He needed 178 stitches.

Medical evidence from April showed the scars had healed, but were visible. The hospital consultant said in a statement that nerves could take two years to recover, and Mr Singleton still had decreased sensation to his left ear.

Geraldine Kelly, mitigating, said Barber accepted she had hit Mr Singleton twice with the glass and that she had been drunk. But she had not set out to harm.

Barber had become "a virtual recluse" since and had stopped drinking.

She said Barber suffered from depression, and had self-harmed and attempted suicide on one occasion this year. It has been very difficult for her to come to terms with how she behaved. She is genuinely remorseful. This was out of character."

Judge Hoffman accepted Barber was considered a caring person, but was also an alcoholic who was "prone to violence" when drunk.

A charge of affray and possession of an offensive weapon, a knife, will lie on the file.

Speaking after the sentence Detective Constable Mark Jackson, the officer in the case, said: "This was an horrendous attack in a pub where the victim had sustained injuries that he will remember for the rest of his life. I am satisfied at the level of sentence."

Updated: 08:48 Friday, August 19, 2005