Woman sentenced for assault in hair-pulling incident

AN Omagh woman has been sentenced to community service after assaulting another female, pulling out a clump of her hair, Omagh Magistrates Court heard.

Chantelle Gallagher, 27, of Dunbreen Close, was convicted of assault occasioning actual bodily harm for an incident on November 24, 2023.

The court was told that the victim reported being attacked on Strathroy Road, where Gallagher grabbed her hair and pulled out a clump before punching her in the face. Police who responded to the incident noted redness under the victim’s eye.

The defendant attended Omagh police station three days later and was arrested. At interview, Gallagher admitted grabbing the victim by her hair, but denied pulling a clump of hair out or punching the woman.

Defence counsel Brian O’Sullivan told the court that Gallagher had difficulties with alcohol and had a ‘limited’ criminal record.

He also mentioned that she had recently started her first job, which she enjoyed. The incident, Mr O’Sullivan explained, was triggered by Gallagher seeing the victim with her ex-partner’s child, but assured the court that it would not happen again.

Deputy district judge Peter Prenter accepted Gallagher’s guilty plea and acknowledged the ‘difficult background’ addressed in the pre-sentence report.

He sentenced her to 80 hours of community service, an 18-month probation order, and ordered her to pay £100 in compensation to the victim.