Man who threw bottle of whiskey into woman's head avoids jail

A man who threw a whiskey bottle which knocked out a woman at a party has avoided jail.

Witnesses can be heard screaming after Jaroslaw Schutz throws the 2 and a half litre bottle into a crowd at the Renaissance Hotel in Manchester, inadvertently clattering into the 35-year-old woman who collapses to the floor.

She was left with vision and hearing problems after being hit by the bottle which gashed the back of her head.

He escaped jail in a sentencing hearing at Manchester Crown Court after a judge was told the devout Catholic was a ‘good man who made a bad mistake’ and had been filled with ‘self-loathing’ since.

The father-of-two - who has no previous convictions - was handed 150 hours unpaid work, an eight-month sentence suspended for a year, and ordered to compensate the victim £1,738.

Describing events, prosecutor Simon Barrett said the victim was at a party organised for members of the Polish community with her husband and 12-year-old son.

After 1am - when Schutz had drunk four lagers and a half a bottle of whisky - he got into a row with other guests and was attacked.

He appeared to take the incident on the chin - until an insult was thrown at him. Schutz rose to his feet, picked up a half-full bottle of whisky, and launched it at revellers on the next table.

Thomas Fitzpatrick, defending, said the offence was not only distressing for the victim but a ‘personal tragedy’ for his client.

Sentencing, Judge David Stockdale QC said it was a ‘matter of pure chance’ that the victim’s injuries were not more serious, but said he believed Schutz’s remorse was genuine.