Barmaid Jodie Byrne scarred for life after glassing attack in Hythe

Jodie Bryne, 22, will be scarred for life following the attack, which left her covered in blood and deaf in one ear.

Jodie was working at the Lord Nelson pub in Hythe when a man smashed the bottom of a beer glass into her face.

She was assaulted on Hythe Promenade after approaching a customer who had walked out of the bar with a drink in his hand.

Jodie said: “When I tried to get the glass off him he gave me a load of verbal abuse, threw his drink over me and then beat my head in. The glass hit me just above the right eye, smashed my head open and knocked me over.

“I was covered in blood and looked like something out of a horror movie.”

Jodie, of Hythe, said a pub customer drove her to Southampton General Hospital, where doctors treated her injuries and discharged her a few hours later.

However, the swelling grew worse and she went back to hospital the following day for X-rays and a CT scan. She later went to stay with her father in Staines, Middlesex, and is currently receiving further treatment after being admitted to St George’s Hospital in Chertsey.

“One of my eyes is only just starting to open after being swollen shut,” she said.

“I can’t hear out of one ear and don’t know whether that’s temporary or not – I’m still waiting to see the doctor.

“It was a completely unprovoked attack and at the end of the day I was just doing my job.

“The doctors say I’ll be left with a big scar on my forehead for the rest of my life. Every time I look in the mirror I’ll be reminded of what happened.”

Roberta O’Hara, landlady at the Lord Nelson, said pub violence in Hythe was comparatively rare. She added: “When I went out she (Jodie) was covered in blood and was pressing a cloth to her head. Everyone was in shock.”

A police spokesman said two people, aged 33 and 44, had been arrested in connection with the incident, on August 13.

They have both been released on bail pending further inquiries.