A thug who scarred another woman for life in an unprovoked attack has been spared jail.
Heather Russell, 42, struck Kristin Masters several times with a beer bottle after losing her temper during an argument in the street.
The victim, who is in her 30s, lost consciousness in the assault and suffered a puncture wound to her forehead, with the ordeal leaving her suffering severe anxiety.
Russell, from Whitefield, near Bury, Greater Manchester, faced up to three years in jail after admitting causing grievous bodily harm.
She had originally been looking at a possible life sentence having first been charged with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.
But on Wednesday she was given a 22-month sentence suspended for two years.
The judge feared prison would disrupt a rehabilitation programme Russell was doing to help her stay away from drug addict spouse of eight years Stephen Russell, 45.
He had been locked up for 21 months in December last year after he repeatedly beat her up and is due for release in the autumn.
The attack on Miss Masters took place at 4.45pm on October 23, 2019, as the victim, who knew the defendant, had just left the job centre in Bury.
CCTV captured the pair exchanging words before Russell produced the bottle and set about Miss Masters.
She struck the victim three or four times to the head until she fell to the floor before she continued to shout at the victim as she was on the ground, the court heard.
Lisa Boocock, prosecuting, said Miss Masters lost consciousness for five minutes and claimed the attack was unprovoked.
"She feels nervous and paranoid and will not go out without her partner," she added.
Russell fled the scene but was arrested following the seizure of CCTV footage in the area.
Defence counsel Mark Friend told Minshull Street Crown Court in Manchester his client "seems to have turned a corner from what can only be described as a miserable existence".
"When this offence was committed, she was homeless, misusing class A drugs and alcohol and suffering prodigiously from mental health difficulties," he said.
He added Russell is "utterly ashamed" of what happened.
Judge Sophie McKone told Russell when she has been drinking her temper can be "explosive" and said she has a "long history of offending".
"But for the last seven months, there has been a real turnaround in your circumstances and I have to ask myself whether that sea change could justify me suspending your inevitable custodial sentence," she continued.
Judge McKone said there is a danger that when her husband is released she may be tempted to return to him and needs support to ensure that doesn't happen.
"If you go back to him he will be violent towards you again and the cycle will return. You [are] now clean, have a home, a stable environment and are a different woman," she added.
Russell, originally from the affluent town of Knutsford, Cheshire, became hooked on drugs aged 15 while in another abusive relationship and failed to kick her habit despite attempts to get clean.
She ended up marrying her husband in 2013 with the pair leading a "chaotic and toxic lifestyle" of drug and alcohol misuse, the court heard.
Russell was ordered to complete a nine-month drug rehabilitation programme and 120 hours of unpaid work as part of her sentence.
