Carys Wakefield, 38, repeatedly punched her sister-in-law outside Pets at Home in Barry in what a judge slammed as an “unedifying” and violent assault.
Ms Wakefield already harboured “some animosity” towards her sister-in-law due to “difficult personal circumstances” when the pair crossed paths by chance at the retailer’s Barry branch on August 28, 2023.
The two had been avoiding each other before engaging in verbal jibes and an ultimately violent altercation outside the store, Cardiff Crown Court heard on Wednesday.
Ms Wakefield, who is from The Pastures in Barry, pushed her sister-in-law backwards before “homing in” and punching her repeatedly, Wales Online reported.
The 38-year-old managed to inflict heavy bleeding and long-term injuries, including a fractured eye socket on her victim before being pulled away by retail staff.
Her sister-in-law told the court that she had undergone surgery following the assault and that her anxiety had gone “through the roof” in the wake of the assault.
She said: “I had sleepless nights and headaches. I had a plate put behind my eyelid. I have numbness on the left side of my face. I am still reluctant to leave the house and when I go shopping, I can’t go on my own.”
Addressing Ms Wakefield at the dock, Judge Vanessa Francis said: “Although at one stage you were close, you have had a number of personal circumstances very difficult for you and your daughter, and over that period the relationship between you and the complainant has become strained. You were effectively avoiding each other.”
On the date in question, however, the judge said the sisters-in-law had found themselves “in the same pet food store completely by chance”.
She added: “A number of verbal comments were made to one another and she was pushed by you. Had matters stopped at that point and had the episode ended after a few insults, and perhaps even some blows … traded, arguably you would both have very much been in the wrong.
“It would have been unedifying … behaviour from two middle-aged women who should have known better. But that didn’t happen, because rather than walk away, you homed in on her and punched her repeatedly to such an extent that you fractured her eye socket.”
Ms Wakefield was arrested on September 13, 2023, on suspicion of assault occasioning actual bodily harm. She was later charged with inflicting grevious bodily harm on her non-blood relative.
The 38-year-old, who initially told police that she had been acting in self defence, pleaded guilty to the charge five days before the trial began.
She was sentenced to one year and five months in custody, suspended for two years, and handed a 15-day rehabilitation activity requirement and £100 fine. Her lawyer said she had no previous convictions.