A SINGLE mother who partially blinded another woman with her stiletto heel has been spared a jail sentence so she can look after her young children.

Nick Adlington, prosecuting, said as Tammy Louise Craig, 29, walked away from the 26-year-old victim, she swung her hand with her shoe in it backwards and the heel went into the victim’s eye.

More than a year and several hospital operations later, the victim is still suffering and will have to have further surgery.

“She has been led to believe there will be permanent damage to her right eye,” said Mr Adlington at York Crown Court.

The two women had exchanged words after Craig or a friend of hers had knocked the victim’s chips to the ground in Rougier Street, central York, in the early hours of April 15, 2015, said Mr Adlington.

Recorder Alistair MacDonald QC said: “It is clear you had far too much alcohol to drink that night.” He gave Craig an 18-month prison sentence, but suspended it for two years because she has two young children, one born after the incident, and is the victim of domestic abuse.

He said: “The consequences of jailing you would be absolutely catastrophic as indeed the consequences were for the complainant of this case.”

Craig, of Kempton Close, Acomb, pleaded guilty to wounding on the day of her trial. In addition to the suspended sentence, she was ordered to do two years’ supervision, ten days’ rehabilitative activities and a 12-hour curfew every Friday, Saturday and Sunday for three months. She must pay the victim £500 which the judge said was totally inadequate compensation, but all he could order as she lives on benefits, and made her subject to a restraining order banning her from contacting the victim the rest of her life.

Glenn Parsons, defending, said she had never intended to injure the victim and was mortified by the effect her reckless action had had.