Attackers treated victim's broken jaw with peas

Catherine Hutter and Kyle Dale were found guilty of inflicting grievous bodily harm

A couple who broke a woman's jaw and then tried to treat her with a bag of frozen peas have been jailed.

Catherine Hutter, 34, and Kyle Dale, 32, attacked the woman at her Wallsend home after they had been drinking together in July last year, Newcastle Crown Court heard.

The victim, who was knocked unconscious, said she had been given a "life sentence of pain and disfigurement".

Both were found guilty of inflicting grievous bodily harm with Dale, of no fixed abode, jailed for three years and two months and Hutter, from Durham, for a year and a half.

'What have you done?'

The pair, who were living in a tent in the Wallsend area at the time, were invited to the victim's home to drink wine on 25 July 2024, prosecutor Ian Windridge said.

Hutter became "maudlin" when talking about her relationship with family but then grew angry when the woman attempted to sympathise with her, the court heard.

Hutter repeatedly hit the woman in the face while Dale held the victim from behind in a bear hug to prevent her from defending herself, Mr Windridge said.

The woman was knocked unconscious and came to on the floor with the attackers holding a bag of frozen peas against her face, the court heard.

She heard Hutter say "what the hell have you done?" and Dale respond "why do I keep hurting people?", the court heard.

Emergency services were called and the woman was diagnosed with a fractured jaw which required several surgeries to fix, the court heard.

'Equally responsible'

In a statement read to the court, the victim said: "The physical injuries I sustained have given me a life sentence of pain and disfigurement."

She said her jaw had to be wired shut for weeks, limiting what she could eat, and she still felt "constant" pain in her mouth.

The woman said her confidence had "completely disappeared" and she was "still reeling from the emotional and pyschological ramifications" of the attack and the injuries.

In mitigation, the court heard Dale had had a "terrible childhood" while Hutter had a "history of trauma" leading to mental health and drink and drug problems.

Dale was jailed for 22 months for the attack and a further 16 months to be served consecutively for breaching a suspended sentence order, imposed in August 2023 for possession of an imitation firearm.

Recorder David Gordon said the couple were equally responsible for the injuries suffered by the woman.