You were seen to be approaching him, throwing your drink over him and then striking him deliberately in the face with the glass that you had. Your conduct was incomprehensible.

'The only explanation that can really be put forward is that you were under the influence of drink, which does you no credit.

'It was no doubt traumatic for Mr Cooper and it would have had an impact on him. Fortunately he seems to have made a good recovery.

'I have seen the photo where the scar is barely noticeable but to him it will be a constant reminder of your conduct on that night. There was a very unpleasant injury, it is a grave injury, but fortunately there is no permanent disfigurement.'

The judge added: 'There is no mitigation about the circumstances of the offence itself but there is mitigation in relation to you.

'You are a woman with no previous convictions. You have never been in a court of law before and you have positive good character.

'It is accepted that you are a dedicated, hardworking woman, and undoubtedly a loving mother.

'It is right that you were remorseful from the beginning of the events at the police station.

'There is no doubt that this offence is so serious that it crosses the custody threshold. The issue is whether the sentence is immediate or can be suspended.

'There can be no doubt in this case that you are no risk to the public and that this offence was entirely out of character and I suspect that having been so shaken by your own conduct the court will never see you again.

She faced up to three years in jail under sentencing guidelines after she admitted inflicting grievous bodily harm.

However, she was spared jail and handed a suspended sentence after Judge Elizabeth Nicholls said she was a 'dedicated, hardworking woman' who posed no risk to the public.

Dodd was sentenced to 12 months in prison, suspended for 12 months and was ordered to complete 180 hours of unpaid work. She was also ordered to pay £800 in compensation to her victim.

Her barrister Mark Friend said: 'So far as the offence itself was concerned, it may be a case where the less said the better.

'But the events since that time remain very firmly in the mind of Miss Dodd. She deeply regrets this and apologises profusely to the complainant for her actions on that day.

'It may be said that some of what had been termed banter between them was rather disobliging but the defendant does not seek to excuse or explain her actions. There was also an unfortunate coalition of factors that were impacting on the defendant on that occasion.