Woman hit out following slur
ELY woman Sharon Boylan assaulted a woman in a wheelchair after she was subjected to abuse about her sexuality. Boylan had been called a dirty dyke before she punched Sheree Smith in the face, leaving her with a black eye and a bloody nose. At Ely court
ELY woman Sharon Boylan assaulted a woman in a wheelchair after she was subjected to abuse about her sexuality.
Boylan had been called "a dirty dyke" before she punched Sheree Smith in the face, leaving her with a black eye and a bloody nose.
At Ely courthouse on Thursday, 40-year-old Boylan admitted assaulting Miss Smith, who has since died after suffering from a stroke.
Prosecuting, Francesca Devine said CCTV operators called police to Ely Market Place around 8pm on July 1, after seeing a fight between the two women. Boylan had blood on her face and smelled of alcohol, and both women were arrested.
You may also want to watch:
Footage from the CCTV showed Boylan acting aggressively towards Miss Smith, shouting, pointing, and hitting her in the face. Miss Smith's carer Gary Thompson was also seen pushing Boylan to the ground.
Before Boylan hit Miss Smith, she had been punched in the mouth by Mr Thompson, and suffered a broken tooth, she said.
Most Read
- 1 Binmen revolt over alleged bullying, poor pay, low morale and staffing crisis
- 2 Woman pedestrian in her 50s killed in guided busway crash
- 3 Plans revealed for new A10 pedestrian bridge
- 4 Ely Cathedral hosts legendary jockey Frankie Dettori's only book signing
- 5 Retired murder detective, Russell, releases first book in new crime series
- 6 Woman has heart attack and dies in ambulance waiting for a hospital bed
- 7 'I feel alive for the first time': Slimmer lost half his body weight in lockdown
- 8 Memorial stone for Cambridge student laid hidden in undergrowth for 80 years
- 9 Cambridgeshire hospitals busy and staff tired and abused
- 10 Covid-19 vaccine myths ‘biggest challenge’ in progress
"It was far from easy for Mr Thompson to be a carer for Miss Smith, and he would want to protect her interests," Mrs Devine conceded. "So it was understandable if there was an overreaction from him."
Mitigating, Michael Judkins said Miss Smith's behaviour towards Boylan had caused her embarrassment.
"She used to shout and call her a dirty dyke," he said. "She had been in a relationship for a long time, and it was offensive and upsetting."
On the night of the assault Boylan had been in town to buy some beer. She had tried to avoid Miss Smith, but was subjected to the same abuse from her.
"She was devastated to hear Sheree Smith had died," he added. "It was a tragic waste of life."
Boylan was given a two-year conditional discharge and ordered to pay £50 costs.
