Harrowing images have been revealed after a young mother glassed her best friend in a busy nightclub, leaving the victim with shocking injuries after a dispute over a dog.
Ebony Jones, 26, shattered a half-pint glass across the face of support worker Megan Smith – causing her to need 36 stitches to her face and five more to her nose as well as treatment from a maxillofacial surgeon.
Now footage has been revealed of the clash inside the Emporium Snooker Club in Bargoed, near Caerphilly in south Wales – as well as images of the scars inflicted upon Ms Smith.
They have emerged after mother-of-two Jones was jailed for 30 months following the attack in February 2023.
Jones thrust a half-pint glass into Megan’s face, shattering it dangerously close to her eye, and then continued to rain down blows on her.
And now the victim has spoken out about the ongoing trauma she has been suffering, saying: ‘The pain was excruciating and in the days following the assault, my stepmother Claire had to help me shower and dress.
‘I have panic attacks and flashbacks. When I finally looked in the mirror, I looked horrible. I couldn’t believe the level of scarring.
‘I am now known as the girl who got glassed in the snooker club. People call me Megan Scar. I am no longer just Megan.’
WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT
Footage has been released of the attack at the Emporium Snooker Club in Bargoed, near Caerphilly in south Wales, in February 2023
Mother-of-two Megan Smith was left with horrific injuries after being glassed in a packed club by her former best friend Ebony Jones
Jones has been jailed for 30 months and handed a ten-year restraining order
A court heard Jones approached Ms Smith as she stood at the bar and began to argue with her over the sale of a dog.
Prosecutor Byron Broadstock said Ms Smith – also a mother of two – asked Jones to leave her alone but the ‘drunk’ defendant flew into a rage and wielded the glass towards her.
The bust-up saw Jones delivering furious blows towards her victim before the two were separated by others.
Mr Broadstock said: ‘Previously they had been good friends but recently their relationship had taken a turn for the worse over a completely unrelated matter.’
He added that the two women had been arguing over the sale of a dog involving Ms Smith’s ex-husband.
The prosecutor said: ‘Miss Smith told the defendant to “leave me alone” and “get away from me” – she wouldn’t.
‘The next thing she recalls is the defendant’s right arm come towards her with a half-pint glass in it. That struck her to the face connecting with her left eye.’
Mr Broadstock said Ms Smith’s memory after being struck was ‘a bit of a blur’ but she could recall Jones continuing to hit her.
Megan Smith (pictured) has said of the assault: ‘The pain was excruciating and in the days following the assault, my stepmother Claire had to help me shower and dress’
Ms Smith says she remains traumatised by the ordeal and that Jones had ‘betrayed’ her
Ebony Jones, 26, (pictured) shattered the half-pint glass across the face of support worker Megan Smith
Ms Smith (pictured here with a scar from the attack) needed 36 stitches to her face and five more to her nose
A court heard Jones approached Ms Smith (pictured) as she stood at the bar and began to argue with her over the sale of a dog
CCTV captured the moment Megan Smith (pictured) was attacked in the packed club
He added: ‘Footage shows at least four strikes to the face. Ms Smith remembers the feeling of glass smashing. When the glass hit her face, it made a shattering sound.’
In a victim impact statement, Ms Smith said the attack had left her with permanent scarring.
She said: ‘Following the assault my life has not been the same. Ebony and I had been friends for years and had a very close relationship and treated each others’ families as our own – I can’t believe she assaulted me this badly.
‘Ebony has betrayed me in the worst possible way – she has ruined my life. I just can’t believe she assaulted me. She was my best friend.’
Newport Crown Court heard she was a ‘shell of [her] former self’ and the psychological impact of the attack had damaged her relationships with her boyfriend, parents and friends.
Ms Smith added in her victim impact statement: ‘I am a support worker and one of my clients told me I now looked as if I had been touched by the devil.’
Aspiring nursery worker Jones, of Caerphilly, admitted wounding with intent on the day she was due stand trial.
Emma Harris, defending, said Jones suffered from mental health problems and was the sole carer for her two young children.
Pictured here are former best friends Ebony Jones and Megan Smith together
Ms Smith pictured before the attack (left) and pictured after with a scar on her face
Megan Smith is seen here in a picture taken before she was attacked by Ebony Jones
Ms Smith (pictured) said in her victim impact statement to Newport Crown Court: ‘Following the assault my life has not been the same’
Jones sobbed in the dock as Judge Hywel James jailed her for 30 months.
He also handed her a restraining order banning contact with the victim for ten years.
He told her: ‘Custody is required when in a public place an individual uses a glass to strike someone in the face, not once, but up to four times.
‘Such a sentence is in part a deterrent against such behaviour in public places.’