Maddie Kirby, of Gateshead, was just 18 when she left a man wounded and scarred in The Mushroom Bar
00:30, 11 Feb 2026Updated 08:41, 11 Feb 2026
Maddie Kirby, who admitted wounding
A woman who glassed a man who was out celebrating his engagement has walked free from court. Maddie Kirby was in The Mushroom Bar, in Newcastle city centre, when she lashed out at the stranger.
A court heard he needed stitches to a deep wound to his forehead and has been left scarred and traumatised. As Kirby was sentenced for the attack, which happened on July 28 2024, no explanation was aired in court, other than to say her actions were “instinctive” and “spontaneous”.
Kirby, 18 at the time and 20 now, of Blaydon, Gateshead, who has no previous convictions, pleaded guilty to wounding. She was sentenced to 10 months suspended for 18 months with 150 hours of unpaid work and £360 costs.
Mr Recorder Rippon told her: “The CCTV shows you strike him while he had almost all of his back turned to you. Your actions caused a deep forehead laceration, requiring stitches under local anaesthetic.
“In interview you gave no comment, apart from saying you didn’t know him. You offered no explanation or mitigation. It’s more serious because you were intoxicated at the time.”
The judge acknowledged Kirby is remorseful, never denied responsibility, remained at the scene and said it “appears to have been a spontaneous uncharacteristic act”.
In a statement outlining the impact of the attack, the victim said: “I’ve not been going out with friends like I used to and I’ve lost friendships. I’ve not drank in town since I was assaulted.
“I’m constantly looking over my shoulder and going outside feels so stressful. I’m autistic and have ADHD and going out sets off my symptoms really badly.
“I’m left with a scar on my face and the surgeon said I was lucky it’s where it was. I can see people looking at my scar and it puts me on edge.
“It was my engagement party. This assault affected my personal relationship and we are no longer together. I feel it’s somewhat because of the assault that the relationship went downhill.”
Brian Hegarty, defending, said: “The defendant did not have the bottle as she went up the stairs. She says she took it from the back pocket of the complainant.
“This appears to have been an instinctive act. It was one blow and one blow only before she desists.
“She was candid with the police, accepting what she had done and set out the circumstances in which it happened.
“She has no previous convictions or cautions and this brief, uncharacteristic episode represents the extent of her criminality. She was 18 at the time and she’s had a very difficult time knowing the powers available to this court in terms of sentence.
“She was in employment at the time and the job was all she ever wanted to do. As a consequence of her arrest for this offending, she lost that employment. However, she has found alternative employment.”
We have a dedicated newsletter for court news and crime updates. It’s free and you can sign up to receive it here. It will keep you up to date with all the latest court cases and sentence updates from around the North East.