Brit female squaddie accused of glassing soldier pal in Magaluf club claims it was total accident after 14-hour bender
It is claimed the victim was trying to break up a row between two pals when the incident took place
THE Brit squaddie accused of glassing her soldier pal on a night out in Magaluf has claimed it was a total accident after a 14-hour boozy bender.
Sydney Cole, 19, told a judge on Monday night that a glass she threw on the floor broke and part of it hit Sarah Ann Garrity in the neck, leaving her fighting for her life.
The Glasgow-born squaddie had her throat cut after trying to intervene in a row between two Cole and another Brit pal named only as Deborah, both of whom she was sharing a hotel room with, it was claimed.
Cole and Deborah had stopped speaking to each other after a 14-hour booze bender and the situation reportedly turned violent after Sarah tried to get the two women to make up.
Scot Deborah had punched Cole in the face and she reacted by pulling her hair, local news site said.
Deborah is believed to have been questioned by police but her version of events has not yet been made public.
'BREAKING UP A ROW'
Witnesses have told police Cole threw the glass directly at Sarah and not on the floor as she insisted.
She is currently languishing in a Majorcan jail after being told she was under investigation for a crime of “wounding with a dangerous weapon.”
She has not yet been charged with any offence, as is normal in Spain where formal charges are only laid shortly before trial.
Sarah, who lives in Middlesborough and is in the Royal Logistics Corps, spent 24 hours in intensive care before being moved to a general ward yesterday.
'14-HOUR BENDER'
Her condition has improved following a life-saving op.
Reports claim the women had been on a 14-hour bender before the incident at 1am on Monday.
Sydney is understood to have told the judge they started drinking at 11am in the unnamed Magaluf hotel they were staying at and they continued to booze throughout the day before heading to an event.
Cole is reported to have told the court: “It was an accident. Sarah and I were very drunk because we had been drinking since 11 on Sunday morning but I didn’t want to cut her throat. She is my best friend.
“We began drinking at 11am in the hotel, afterwards in a bar and then again in the room. Then we went to an event with a free bar and we had shots, vodka, gin and other drinks.”
She is initially being investigated on suspicion of an alleged crime of wounding with a dangerous weapon
A source
Official court sources confirmed yesterday Cole had been remanded in custody after appearing in court.
The source said: “A duty judge on Monday night remanded the young woman in prison.
“She is initially being investigated on suspicion of an alleged crime of wounding with a dangerous weapon.”
Well-placed sources say a decision about an eventual prosecution could depend on whether Scottish-born victim Sarah Ann Garrity, who is in the Royal Logistics Corps, decides to make a formal complaint against her close friend.
Witness Charlie Martin, 24, told The Sun Online he saw the two women arguing at the bar and tried to calm things down after one got a bloody nose.
It was a real shock and I immediately stepped in between them
Martin, from Portishead
Martin, from Portishead, said: "It was a real shock and I immediately stepped in between them and said: 'Come on, come on, there's no need for that' when suddenly 'bang' the other smaller girl smacked her on the shoulder blade with her beer bottle.
"It was a really nasty hit and the red mist just descended."
Holdaymaker Alice Gascoigne, 18, from Coventry, told The Sun Online: "Everyone was screaming, there was so much blood.
"She came out the club and she was holding her neck and she had a white top on and it was literally covered in red. Then she passed out and had a fit."
'BLOODBATH'
Another witness described the scene as a "bloodbath".
Pakistani kebab shop worker Suleiman was working next door when the victim collapsed outside his restaurant.
He said: "I couldn't look it was so horrible. It was horrific. There was blood everywhere.
"I could hardly bring myself to look. It was a huge gash, and quite a hole that wouldn't stop bleeding.
"There was piles of blood on the pavement and a group of around 80 or more people around her when the ambulance turned up."
Another eyewitness said: “It was a very deep cut. There was a lot of blood. She tried to get up but collapsed.”
READ MORE ON MAGALUF
Barbara Nield, from Lancashire, whose 23-year-old soldier daughter Bethany Bancroft was engaged to the injured woman until recently, said: "Bethany is so upset because of what has happened to Sarah. They are not together now but they were very close."
Bethany’s brother Ashley Nield, 29, described Sarah as "bright, witty, funny and caring".
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