An off-duty Special Constable performed emergency first aid after he witnessed a serious assault on his way home from work.
Special Constable Marlow Dupont was driving home from his shift when he saw 35-year-old Leighann Woodward punch a woman outside a pub in Hucknall.
The assault happened at around 8pm on May 26 last year after Woodward had a disagreement with the victim earlier that evening.
As the victim and her family left the pub, they were followed by Woodward’s partner and an altercation ensued, which was broken up by members of the public and the pub’s landlord.
Having witnessed the altercation, Woodward attempted to follow the victim out of the pub but was stopped by the landlord.
She then walked back through the pub to the beer garden and used a rear exit to intercept the victim in the street as they went home.
Woodward verbally abused the victim before punching her in the head, causing the woman to immediately fall backwards and hit her head on the pavement.
The woman, aged in her 40s, suffered a fractured skull, eye socket, jaw, and a bleed to the brain after the attack in Vine Terrace.
Woodward continued to shout aggressively at the victim, who was now lying unconscious on the floor and bleeding from her head, before walking away hand-in-hand with her partner.
Officers arrived within minutes and searched nearby streets, but Woodward had already left the area. She was arrested at her home three days later.
Footage of the assault captured on the Special Constable Dupont’s dash-cam was later used by detectives to help prosecute Woodward.
After pleading guilty at an earlier hearing to causing grievous bodily harm without intent, Woodward appeared at Nottingham Crown Court on Tuesday, April 1 for sentencing.
Leighann Woodward, aged 35, of Woodstock Street, Hucknall, was jailed for two years, suspended for 24 months.
She was ordered to complete 100 hours of unpaid work and pay £3,500 compensation and a £187 victim surcharge.
Woodward must also complete up to 20 rehabilitation activity requirement days as part of her sentence and cannot contact the victim by any means for two years under the terms of a restraining order.
Detective Constable Michaela Williams, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “One punch assaults can have fatal consequences and it is only luck that the victim was not more seriously injured.
“This was a wholly unnecessary attack against a woman who was trying to go home with her family.
“Woodward walked off without checking the victim’s wellbeing hand-in-hand with her partner as if nothing had happened.
“She may not have intended to cause the injuries she did, but just one punch can have devastating consequences.
“The victim was hospitalised with very serious injuries and continues to suffer ongoing side effects because of the assault.
“Violence of this nature has no place in our night-time economy and will always be met with a robust response.”
• Local Elections 2025: Nottinghamshire County Council full list of candidates
• Jail for Nottinghamshire man who tried to entice girl into sexual acts
