Three sisters and their friend attacked an innocent woman so bad they left her blind (Image: North Yorkshire Police)
Three sisters and their friend have been labelled as “feral bullies” after they brutally kicked and punched an innocent woman leaving her blind. The savage, unprovoked attack on a woman in her 50s has been described by police as “vicious”. The victim, a woman in her 50s, was enjoying a night out in Scarborough in the early hours of October 28, 2023, when she was set upon by sisters Toni Lee Patterson, 32, Ellie Patterson, 20, Abbie Patterson, 19, and their friend Tonia Louise Stott, 35, reports Yorkshire Live.
Members of the public have condemned the attackers as “feral” and “bullies”, describing their actions as “vile”. The four women punched and kicked the victim until she lost consciousness. The victim, who was not known to the defendants, had just purchased food from a nearby takeaway when she was attacked on St Thomas Street. Even after she fell unconscious, the group continued to punch and kick her head and body.
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All four women pleaded guilty to affray, with Toni and Ellie Patterson also admitting to wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.
Prior to the attack, the group had been denied entry to a nearby bar and were abusive to the doormen before walking away towards their victim.
Ellie Patterson was the first to attack the victim, punching her in the face and dragging her across the pavement by her hair. Toni Patterson then joined in with her sister and grabbed hold of the victim’s hair as the pair dragged her towards the road.
The victim fell into the carriageway as a friend tried to shield her. Ellie Patterson proceeded to kick the victim in the back while she lay unable to move in the road.
Ellie Patterson was the first to attack the victim (Image: North Yorkshire Police)
Ellie Patterson then kicked the victim in her back, Toni Patterson then stamped on the victim’s head twice, before kicking the victim in her face as Abbie Patterson stood over the victim’s body.
By this time a number of people had begun to congregate, some to try and protect the victim, others observing the scene. Toni Patterson then pushed through the crowd and once again kicked the unconscious victim in the head.
Stott, who had not been involved until this point, then got involved and began pushing people out of the way.
The victim tried to lift her head off the floor, before Toni Patterson kicked her in the head. Ellie Patterson then kicked the victim in the body.
Witnesses then tried to give first aid to the victim, before Stott pushed through the crowd and kicked the victim in her back.
Tania Louise Scott kicked the victim in her back (Image: North Yorkshire Police)
The victim, who was already blind in her left eye, has been left with a facial fracture and a brain bleed after the attack, resulting in partial sight in her right eye.
Police Staff Investigator Paul Thompson, of Scarborough CID, said: “This shocking and unprovoked attack has changed the victim’s life forever, not only has she lost most of her sight, she has to rely on her family to do the most simplest of tasks.
“The four defendants had the audacity to claim it was out of character because they were drunk. There is simply no excuse whatsoever for what they did and the very least they could do was to plead guilty to this disgusting act of unprovoked violence.
“In a statement read out at court the victim said that she daily grieves for the ‘old me’ that she will never see again and that she doesn’t know what the future holds for her and misses being able to do the basic things she once took for granted.
Toni Lee Patterson was jailed for eight years (Image: North Yorkshire Police)
“I applaud her bravery. She must now face the future almost blind, not to mention the psychological trauma she has endured through no fault of her own. But she has the support of those around her and I’m sure she will succeed, despite the ordeal that she has gone through. The four women are now rightly facing the consequences of their behaviour.”
The victim also praised the emergency services in her statement thanking the police, the ambulance service, the hospital, specialists and nursing staff who “got me through the worse time of my life.”
The women were sentenced at York Crown Court on Friday.
Toni Lee Patterson was jailed for eight years for causing grievous bodily harm and 18 months for affray.
Ellie Patterson was sentenced to seven years and three months’ custody in a Young Offenders Institute for causing grievous bodily harm, and 18 months’ custody for affray.
Abbie Patterson was sentenced to four months in a Young Offenders Institute, suspended for 18 months. She was also given an Alcohol Abstinence Requirement and monitoring requirement, ordered to carry out 80 hours of unpaid work and issued with a Rehabilitation Activity Requirement.
Tonia Stott was jailed for one year for affray.
