AN AIR stewardess and former glamour model who left a Phd student scarred for life after a vicious glassing attack in a city bar has had her two-and-a-half year jail term reduced at the Court of Appeal.

Drunken Lisa Kee, 29, of Heaton Mersey, Stockport, left Liam Sharratt’s cheek in tatters after twice hitting him with an empty wine glass at Manchester’s The Living Room in November 2007.

She was jailed at Manchester Crown Court in February of this year after pleading guilty to unlawful wounding, but today took her case to the Court of Appeal in a challenge to the sentence.

And, after hearing arguments against the term, three top judges ruled that she had been too harshly punished and cut her sentence to 21 months.

Mr Justice King, sitting yesterday today Wed with Lord Justice Scott Baker and Judge Peter Moss QC, said the sentencing judge had taken too serious a view of the offence and had not taken sufficient account of her mitigation.

Banter

Kee, of Priestnall Road, attacked Mr Sharratt after approaching his group in the bar on the night of November 20, 2007 and engaging in initially light-hearted banter.

But the banter turned ugly and, after Mr Sharratt insulted her, Kee ‘flipped’, punched him and threw wine at him, before hitting him twice in the face with the glass.

After the attack, she was said to appear shocked at what she had done and gave no comment in an interview with police after she was arrested.

Mr Sharratt was left with serious long-term injuries, with scarring for life and post traumatic stress disorder.
After the attack, he had to delay his studies by a year and was unable to teach in front of classes.

Wrong

Today, At the appeal court lawyers for Kee argued that the judge was wrong to assess the offence as worthy of a four-year term, before granting her the usual reduction for pleading guilty.

The judge had also failed to take sufficient account of her previously impeccable character, the degree of provocation and impact on her own life in losing her career and home, it was argued.

Allowing the appeal, Mr Justice King said: “We accept that her personal mitigation in this case is particularly strong.

“Taking all the matters into account, our conclusion is this: the starting point after trial for this offending would have been one of three years. That then is reduced to two years to discount for plea of guilty.

“But, having regard to the personal mitigation which the judge himself considered merited further discount, we consider it is appropriate to allow this appeal by reducing the sentence to one of 21 months.”

ends