A hair salon owner who dragged a woman to the floor by her hair before kicking her as she lay injured on a Welshpool nightclub floor has been spared prison.
Ashleigh Bates, 35, grabbed Trudy Langton by the hair and pulled her down causing her to fall awkwardly and fracture her leg.
Moments later, while Ms Langton lay on the floor in pain, Bates kicked her, leaving her with what a judge described as “significant” injuries and a “profound” impact.
Bates was sentenced to 18 months in prison, suspended for the same period, after pleading guilty to inflicting grievous bodily harm. She was also ordered to pay £4,500 in compensation.
A court heard the violence unfolded during the early hours of December 1, 2024, after Ms Langton and her friend Stephanie Chave had gone out with colleagues on a work night out.
Trouble began when one of Bates’ friends repeatedly bumped into Ms Langton’s group and was eventually asked to leave the nightclub by security staff. A disagreement then broke out between Bates and Ms Chave, during which Bates struck her, prompting door staff to step in.
As tensions escalated, Ms Langton became involved and grabbed another of Bates’ friends by the hair, pulling her to the floor. While club staff tried to separate the groups, Bates approached Ms Langton, grabbed her hair and dragged her to the floor before punching her in the face.
As Bates was pulled away by security staff, she kicked Ms Langton as she lay on the ground.
In her victim impact statement, Ms Langton said the attack had affected both her physical and mental health and left her unable to work “for a long time”.
“I don’t go out anymore as a result,” she said. “I don’t want to be involved in anything like that again.”
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Sentencing Bates on Thursday, April 23, Judge Rhys Rowlands said her victim had suffered a broken leg along with “unpleasant” bruising and wounds.
“As part of what seemed a disagreement between the victim and members of your group, you grabbed her hair and pulled her to the ground,” he said. “She fell awkwardly and twisted her leg, sustaining serious injury.
“You then hit and kicked her while she was on the floor, plainly vulnerable. That did not stop you, in drink, attacking her.”
The judge described the kick as “the equivalent of using a weapon”.
During mitigation, barrister Mr Williams told the court Bates was a “hard-working young woman” who fully accepted responsibility for her actions and was well regarded within the “fairly small community of Welshpool”.
He said her behaviour was out of character and driven by frustration and alcohol, adding she was embarrassed to be before the court and understood an immediate prison sentence could have been imposed.
The court heard Bates employs nine people through her business. Judge Rowlands said he had taken into account the potential impact of a jail sentence on her staff, as well as her early guilty plea, positive character references and the fact she had stayed out of trouble since the incident.
Bates, of Maes Mawr, Welshpool, was handed an 18‑month custodial sentence suspended for 18 months and made subject to a restraining order preventing contact with Ms Langton for three years.
She must wear an alcohol monitoring tag for 90 days and complete 15 rehabilitation activity requirement days.
In addition to paying £4,500 compensation, Bates was ordered to pay a £187 victim surcharge. No prosecution costs were imposed, with the judge saying the compensation took priority.
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