A WOMAN who lost an eye in a horrific assault on a Haverfordwest council estate three years ago saw her two attackers jailed this week.

Holly Catherall’s face was smashed when Dean Rowlands swung a metal pole into her face on July 3, 2018 in West Court.

Holly lost an eye after the former girlfriend of her new partner instigated the street attack.

Dean Rowlands, who was described at Swansea Crown Court as being ‘evil’ had been encouraged to take part in the incident by Kelly Elizabeth Howard, of West Court, after her former boyfriend had begun a relationship with Ms Catherall.

She was also jailed after the judge heard that Howard had urged Rowlands to “f*** up her face” during the attack.

Also arrested over the disturbances was a third person. That was Thomas Dane Pindair, previously of Cormorant Close, Cashfield Estate, Haverfordwest. At previous hearing he had denied possessing a hammer in West Court on that occasion but he admitted assaulting one Amy Hughes causing her actual bodily harm.

Pindair had admitted charges of affray and actual bodily harm against him at an earlier hearing but Howard and Rowlands denied the charges they faced only to be found guilty by a jury following a Crown Court trial.

Dyfed Thomas, defence lawyer for 30-year-old Pindair, said “he never denied using unlawful violence on that day – the only issue he denied was using any weapon”.

He added: “This defendant told the truth about how this awful injury was caused. The remorse for the horrendous injury was clear in the witness box.”

Ms Catherall said she was bleeding so heavily she could not see her skin or nails, just blood, and: “I could not scream, just gurgle.” She was taken to hospital where she had 40 stitches in her eye but it could not be saved.

She also had to undergo a 10-hour operation to her face and continues to suffer searing pain in her cheeks and has scarring in her mouth which is constantly painful and full of ulcers.

It was confirmed in court that Amy Hughes, the sister of Holly’s new partner Sam, was also assaulted in the incident.

Sentencing, Recorder John Philpotts told Rowlands: “You took a prominent role in the incidence of serious street violence. During the incident you used a weapon to inflict a very grave injury on Holly Catherall

“In my judgement that violence was instigated initially by your partner Kelly Howard because she resented her former partner was in a relationship with someone else but you willingly and enthusiastically entered into verbal abuse and threats of serious violence and in the course of violence a young woman lost her eye. The last thing she saw or will see in her left eye was you about to strike her.”

Rowlands was sentenced to 10 years in prison for causing grievous bodily harm with intent with a further nine months to run concurrently for possession of an offensive weapon, namely the metal pole. He was also made subject to an indefinite restraining order.

Addressing Howard he added: “In my judgement you instigated the violence because you were unable to accept the fact your former partner was in a relationship with another woman. He said she had also attacked Amy Hughes.

Howard received a sentence of two years imprisonment for an offence of affray with a further 12 months concurrent for a second affray offence and was made subject to a restraining order.

Recorder Rowlands told Pindair he had made a “serious error of judgement allowing yourself to be recruited in violence and public disorder”.

He was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment for an offence of ABH with the term suspended for two years. He was also told to carry out 150 hours unpaid work.