A pregnant mother-of-three who launched a brutal attack on a pensioner during a funeral wake has walked free from court.
Danielle Oliver, 39, threw herself at 65-year-old Belinda Stickland without warning inside the Conservative Club in Splott, Cardiff, during a family funeral on June 9 last year.
The assault was so severe that it left the pensioner with fractured ribs, breathing difficulties and a lasting diagnosis of emphysema.
Cardiff Crown Court heard how Ms Stickland had to be rushed to hospital and kept in for nine days, during which doctors drained fluid from her lungs.
She later said the violent and prolonged attack had changed her life ‘in every way’.
Prosecutor Kirsten Murphy described how the unprovoked attack was caught on CCTV, which showed Oliver looking up from her phone before launching herself at the older woman near the bar.
Once on the ground, Stickland was left helpless as Oliver continued to gesture menacingly, prompting bar staff to intervene and drag her out of the venue.
In court, Ms Stickland’s harrowing victim impact statement revealed the true cost of the assault.
The assault was so severe it left Belinda Stickland with fractured ribs, breathing difficulties and a lasting diagnosis of emphysema
Cardiff Crown Court heard how Ms Stickland had to be rushed to hospital and kept in for nine days, during which doctors drained fluid from her lungs
Danielle Oliver, 39, pounced on Belinda Stickland without warning inside the Conservative Club in Splott, Cardiff, during a family funeral on June 9 last year
‘I was attending the funeral of a close friend on the day I was assaulted. It changed my life in so many ways. It took my sparkle away,’ she said.
‘I am now a shell of a person, Oliver was a stranger to me, and yet now she is woven into the fabric of my everyday.
‘I used to go out and enjoy my life and speak to my neighbours but now I can’t leave the house. I feel it is too unsafe.’
Addressing her attacker directly, she asked: ‘What if you had killed me? What if you had left my children without their mother? What if you had left my grandchildren without their nan?
‘I don’t just live with the physical injuries, I continue to live with the mental trauma. I am no longer me.’
Judge Simon Mills said the footage made clear just how ‘heavily’ the victim had fallen.
He said: ‘Any idea that a single blow to the face doesn’t do any harm is completely wide of the mark. You could today have been facing prosecution for manslaughter.
‘I have heard you are surprised by the seriousness of your victim’s injuries.
‘Well, I’m afraid in the job that I do, I see all of the time how momentary acts of violence have very serious consequences and sometimes fatal consequences.
Outside court, Ms Stickland’s daughter, Jinaise, left, said the family was ready to move forward after two years of waiting. ‘My mother is 65 now and shouldn’t have had to put up with this’
‘Once you lay your hands on someone else in such a way, then the consequences can be truly catastrophic and they arguably have been in this case.’
He added: ‘I am not going into the background of why you made the decision you did. You were pregnant at the time and I’m aware your medication had to be adjusted.
‘An issue was brought to your attention which caused you to make completely the wrong decision.’
The court heard Oliver, of Braunton Avenue in Llanrumney, had two prior convictions but none considered aggravating.
She was arrested four days after the attack and remained largely uncooperative in the interview, answering ‘no comment’ to all questions before eventually admitting to assault occasioning grievous bodily harm.
Defending Oliver, Dan Jones, said she did not intend to cause such serious harm and cited her responsibilities as a single parent, including care for a child with specific needs.
The court also heard that medication changes during her pregnancy may have contributed to her state of mind.
Judge Mills handed down a 66-week prison sentence, suspended for two years.
Oliver must complete a 10-day rehabilitation programme and was handed a five-year restraining order banning any contact with her victim.
The judge opted not to impose compensation, citing Oliver’s financial limitations.
Outside court, Ms Stickland’s daughter, Jinaise, said the family was ready to move forward after two years of waiting. ‘My mother is 65 now and shouldn’t have had to put up with this.
‘The puncture has given her emphysema. My mother is already closer to the coffin than most, and she shouldn’t have to have anyone wanting to put her in there any sooner by assaulting her.’
