Slashing two women’s faces with a broken beer bottle has ended in three years’ imprisonment for a 40-year-old Pembroke woman.

A tearful Cureka Caines, of Happy Valley Road, told Puisne Judge Carlisle Greaves she’d never intended to harm Donna Woollery and Donna Hanley,

“I didn’t set out to hurt anyone that night,” she told the court — maintaining that the night had ended with the two victims accosting her on Court Street.

But Mr Justice Greaves accused Caines of making up a “crybaby” story, telling her he believed the facial wounds had been intentionally inflicted — although Caines had pleaded guilty to two counts of unlawful wounding.

“Old people have a saying, ‘Beware of the crocodile’s tears — if you focus there, you may find yourself in the grip of his jaws’,” the judge added, calling it a “wicked” and unprovoked attack.

Both women had been celebrating Ms Woollery’s 50th birthday on the night of September 16 at a Pembroke residence.

The court heard from Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions Cindy Clarke that around 5pm there had been an altercation between two men at the party, who were asked to leave.

Caines, who hadn’t been invited to the event, was nearby on Rambling Lane, and commented to the host on the men who had left, asking if there was free liquor at the party.

Later, when Ms Woollery went out with her daughter to get in the car, the two men were still arguing, and Caines approached, remarking that she wanted some ice cream, then adding: “They better not f*** with me, or I will f*** them up.”

Ms Woollery asked Caines to leave, at which point she became hostile. She also appeared to be intoxicated.

According to the prosecutor, Ms Woolery told Caines to get her hand out of her face, and called her “disgusting” as she stepped away cursing.

At around 1.30am on September 17, Ms Woollery parked with her daughter, Shirdonne, on Court Street and was joined by Ms Hanley. Caines, who was nearby, asked them: “You all want me to go to jail?”

Ms Clarke said Ms Hanley asked her what her problem was, at which point Caines lunged at them with a broken beer bottle, cutting both women in the face.

When Ms Woollery’s daughter pursued her, Caines threatened to cut her as well.

Ms Hanley’s facial injuries required 37 sutures to repair, while Ms Woollery’s injuries took 47 stitches, Ms Clarke told the court.

Both were left with permanent scars, the prosecutor added, to which Mr Justice Greaves said: “What worse place can you disfigure a woman but to her face?”

Caines said she hadn’t told police that the two women had attacked her first because her lawyer had told her not to comment.

But the judge responded: “Even if I wanted to believe you, I can’t.” He pointed to discrepancies in her story in different interviews, in which she had alternately claimed to be sober that night, and then said she had been under the influence.

Passing sentence, Mr Justice Greaves said: “I think the wounding in the face was no accident. I think that was intended, to tell the truth.”

The courts treated “glassing” as a serious offence, he said — “particularly glassing ladies in the face”.

He sentenced her to three years’ imprisonment on each count, to run concurrently, with three years’ probation including six months of curfew and treatment for drugs and alcohol.

• On occasion The Royal Gazette may decide to not allow comments on what we consider to be a controversial or contentious story. As we are legally liable for any slanderous or defamatory comments made on our website, this move is for our protection as well as that of our readers.