A Te Puke woman who punched a woman in the face several times before whacking her over the head with a full bottle of beer has been jailed for 16 months. Ariana Smith, 28, who earlier pleaded guilty to one charge of injuring with intent to injure and a breach ofcommunity work, was sentenced in Tauranga District Court yesterday. The assault happened in the early hours of January 13 when Smith turned up to the victim's home with two associates. Smith punched the woman on the left side of the face and yelled abuse at her.
When the victim lowered her head to protect herself, Smith struck her on the head with a full bottle of beer with such force that the victim thought she had been hit with a hammer. A fourth person in the group then intervened. The victim, who suffered a 1cm wound to her head, was treated at Tauranga Hospital and required two staples to close the wound. She also suffered bruising to face, head and upper body and her $150 cellphone was taken. Smith's legal counsel Glenn Dixon said Smith had acknowledged full responsibility for her offending and had formally apologised in a letter to the victim. Smith offered to pay her share of the $150 reparation for the phone and to pay emotional harm payment to the victim, he said. Judge Christopher Harding denied Smith home detention. Smith was ordered to pay $50 reparation for the loss of the phone plus $1000 for emotional harm to the victim at $40 a week on her release from prison. Smith's co-offenders will be sentenced next week.
