ARHS (Arbroath, Scotland) – A nightclub attacker in Arbroath, Scotland, has been sentenced to nine months in jail for leaving a victim with a nine-inch scar across her neck. Marie Huggan, 44, was found guilty of causing severe injury and permanent disfigurement to Jeanette Irvine, who was struck on the head with a bottle during a dancefloor brawl at De Vito’s nightclub.
The incident took place on July 10, 2022. Huggan not only sliced her victim’s neck open but also knocked a second woman to the floor by punching her in the head, and continued to punch her while she was on the ground.
During sentencing, Sheriff Paul Brown rejected a plea to give Huggan a community-based sentence, citing the severity of the harm caused to the victim. Despite Huggan’s personal circumstances and expressed remorse, the sheriff deemed the assault to be of a serious enough nature to warrant a custodial sentence.
The victim, Ms. Irvine, was left traumatized and feeling self-conscious about the significant scar on her neck and jaw following the attack. Huggan, who admitted to assaulting Ms. Irvine and Ms. Mullen, claimed self-defense but was ultimately found guilty.
The assault occurred after a verbal altercation near the bar, during which Huggan struck the victim with a bottle, causing it to break. The victim sustained a 10-to-12-inch cut to the left side of her neck, compounded by pain to the back of her head and permanent disfigurement.
In her defense, Huggan expressed remorse to a social worker, acknowledging her actions and their consequences. She later admitted that she had “absolutely disgraced herself and deserves everything she gets.”
The court’s decision reflects the seriousness of the physical and psychological harm caused by the assault, setting a precedent for such violent behavior. This case serves as a reminder of the legal consequences of inflicting severe injury and permanent disfigurement on others in a physical altercation.