A WOMAN who could have been blinded when she was gouged with a stiletto heel by a young mum at a Bournemouth nightclub said she’s “glad” her attacker has been punished.

As reported by the Daily Echo, Mercedes Eyre lashed out in an unprovoked attack at Canvas in Poole Hill in the early hours of October 21 last year.

Her victim, Georgina Scott-Andrews, suffered a wound that has left a permanent scar just above one of her eyes.

Eyre, 28, was sitting down when she kicked out at Ms Scott-Andrews. Her spiked heel connected with the victim’s face.

The defendant admitted assault occasioning actual bodily harm. She was sentenced to 12 months in prison suspended for two years, as well as unpaid work and a rehabilitation activity requirement, and ordered to pay her victim £500 compensation.

Ms Scott-Andrews, 47, a customer advisor with insurance firm LV, has now spoken out about her ordeal.

She has little memory of Eyre’s attack, and said she was shocked when she looked in the mirror afterwards and saw she was covered in blood.

“I was dancing and I saw my twin sister Heather looked upset so I went over to her and put my arms around her,” she said.

“The next thing I remember was being in the toilets and looking in the mirror and seeing all the blood pouring out of my face. I was shocked how much blood there was.

“From what I was told, [Eyre] just high-kicked me to the head with her spiky heel.

“It was completely out of the blue.

“The cut was so deep I had to have internal and outer stitches, 13 in total.

“My eye was really swollen and all sorts of colours, I couldn’t really see out of it for a while, and my chest hurt for days when I breathed from the bruising.”

Eyre was dragged away by bouncers after the attack. However, she was then let go.

Ms Scott-Andrews said: “The bouncers let her go and the only reason the police were able to find her is because one of her friends was so shocked by what she’d done she stayed behind and gave her name to the police.

“I’m so glad they caught her and she has been punished.”

Eyre was sentenced at Bournemouth Crown Court. A judge heard Eyre “deeply regrets” the incident.