Ramsey woman's assault sentence increased following appeal

Hearing found original 30-month sentence was unduly lenient

A Ramsey woman sent to prison earlier this year for assaulting a man with a baseball bat has had her sentence increased following an appeal from the Attorney General's Chambers.

The prosecution said the 30-month custodial sentence handed to Dawn Diane Neeson of Waterloo Road earlier this year was unduly lenient.

She was jailed in April for wounding with intent to do grievous bodily harm and having an offensive weapon - a baseball bat.

It followed an incident in St Paul's Square in Ramsey in June 2022, in which members of the public observed Neeson assaulting a man in broad daylight, leaving him with blood coming from a wound to his head.

The AG's office argued the Deemster's starting point for the sentence was too low, and that an error was made in applying totality for the two offences, adding that the 30-month sentence did not meet the justice of the case.

The appeal against the sentence heard the typical sentence for these offences would fall between four and nine years before any discount is applied, with the prosecution arguing that any mitigation for personal matters could not have brought the sentence down to anything less than three years nine months.

The AG's case also stated the sentencing Deemster did not identify the very many serious factors which would affect the starting point.

The appeal accepted the prosecution's submissions, increasing Neeson's sentence to three years and nine months.