Oundle women sob as they're spared from prison after victim left with permanently protruding collarbone

"I now have a constant reminder of that night and the attack."

The words of a woman who was left with a permanently protruding collarbone after a nasty assault in Oundle in 2020.

She was on a night out with a group of friends when two Oundle women they didn’t know – Annie Hallam-Saunton and Claire Murdoch – attacked them.

On Thursday (January 12) the pair sobbed in the dock as they were handed suspended prison sentences.

Northampton Crown Court heard Hallam-Saunton and Murdoch were in town on September 5, 2020, and first encountered the group when they told them the pub they intended to visit was ‘s***’.

Prosecutor Henry James said the group left the Rose and Crown just after 10pm and walked towards the junction of Market Place and New Street.

The defendants, in 28-year-old Hallam-Saunton’s car, drove past them when a male member of the group waved his arms, the court heard.

The car stopped, reversed, turned and parked up with Hallam-Saunton getting out and shouting: "What's your f****** problem?"

Mr James said two members of the group were pushed and Hallam-Saunton, of Creed Road, went back to her car before returning and grabbing one woman before throwing her to the ground. She suffered a fractured collarbone.

Murdoch, 29 and of Jericho, got out of the car and joined in the action, leaving a woman with a bruised cheekbone from a punch, Mr James said.

The woman who suffered a fractured collarbone was at court and read her victim statement from the witness box. She was taken to hospital and was told she needed an operation to have the bone fused.

But as a single parent she could not afford the time off work or not being able to drive, meaning the incident has left her with a permanently protruding collarbone.

She told the court that her right arm is now a lot weaker and that for a while she was unable to pick up her son or cuddle him.

She said: "I do not understand what these people gained by doing this to me."

The defendants were tracked from CCTV and arrested by police.

Hallam-Saunton claimed one of the group threw a bottle at her car, a claim not supported by CCTV. She also said one spat in her face and called her a 'dirty chav'.

Murdoch told police her actions were in self-defence.

Hallam-Saunton was later convicted of causing grievous bodily harm without intent and affray, with Murdoch convicted of assault causing actual bodily harm.

Richard Reynolds, mitigating for Hallam-Saunton, said the carer had been ‘stalked’ by a police officer who was jailed, adding that she had no previous convictions.

He said: "This is a young lady who is highly suitable for a suspended sentence."

Nathalie Carter, mitigating for Murdoch, said the incident was out of character for the trained chef.

She said: "Her remorse is genuine and she is totally ashamed."

His Honour Judge Rupert Mayo sentenced Hallam-Saunton to 10 months in prison, suspended for 12 months, with rehabilitation activities and a three-month electronic curfew. She must pay compensaiton of £1,200.

Murdoch was jailed for seven months, suspended for 12 months, with 100 hours of unpaid work and rehabilitation activities. She must pay £480 in compensation.