More Nominative Determinism In Liverpool...

Lawless appeared at Liverpool Crown Court on Tuesday after pleading guilty to one count of wounding. She was sentenced to two years imprisonment suspended for 18 months.

Who's surprised? 

The mother-of-one said she had previously had trouble with Ms Hardy but could not give any specific examples of what had been said. She claimed Ms Hardy came towards her and she felt under threat, and said she had a diagnosis of PTSD.

That's called 'getting your mitigation in first'. And Reader, will you be surprised to learn this is in no way her first offence? 

Lawless, of Everton, has three previous convictions for five offences, two of which were in November and December of 2011, the first for breaching the peace and the second for assault of a designated person carrying out their public duty. In 2022, she received a suspended sentence for assault occasioning actual bodily harm, which occurred shortly after she was released under investigation for the attack on Ms Hardy.

The justice system is doing a bang-up job with this one, eh? 

But anyway, on to the professionals to flesh out the pathetic 'defence' she relayed to the no-doubt bored cops at the time: 

Martine Snowden, defending, said her client had significant mental health difficulties at the time of the offending, including a diagnosis of PTSD shortly before.

She said the victim's father died in violent circumstances and she experienced violence within her family. Ms Snowden said Lawless then became involved with men that were violent towards her - two of which have been sent to jail for assaulting her.

In other words, she's underclass scum from an underclass family.  

She said: 'She has been existing in a long-standing fear of violence. The irony in this case is that this defendant's violent outbursts relate to everything that you can see in relation to her background as it is rooted in the damage caused to her throughout her life as a consequence of violence perpetrated towards her and in her life.'

She's not the victim here, Martine.  

In sentencing, Judge Andrew Menary KC said: 'This was a pretty outrageous offence committed by you.

'She had done nothing wrong to you at all, she was a completely innocent victim.

Well, at least one person realised that... 

'For no good reason at all you began to abuse her and threaten her and then without any warning at all you repeatedly hit her to the face using a dog lead that you had wrapped around your hand as a weapon.

'In this case however, I am satisfied that there is a genuine underlying mental health issue which requires treatment, is being treated and you are responding positively to therapy. That is the only reason I am pulling back from imposing the prison sentence you otherwise deserve.'

Who wants to bet this won't be her last offence?