Woman’s stiletto heel went through lover’s eye and into brain in taxi fall-out

Aug 3 2010 Huddersfield Daily Examiner

A WOMAN kicked her three-inch stiletto heel through her boyfriend’s eye and into his brain during an argument in a taxi in Huddersfield, a court heard.

The hearing was told Gavin Taylor had surgery on his brain after the attack in town.

Now a 34-year-old mum has gone on trial accused of kicking out and seriously injuring her boyfriend during a drunken row after a night out.

The three-inch long heel of Staci Hargreaves’ shoe penetrated 28-year-old Mr Taylor’s left eye, fracturing the socket and causing a blood vessel on his brain to burst, a jury heard yesterday.

The incident happened as the couple were heading home to Stalybridge, Cheshire, after a night out with friends in Huddersfield last February.

Taxi driver Mohammed Akbar told Bradford Crown Court how he had summoned help for the injured man by pulling up outside Huddersfield Police Station and sounding his horn.

The prosecutor said the incident happened after the couple had been out drinking in Huddersfield with another couple in the early hours of February 7, and all of them had drunk a substantial amount.

The other woman in the group was arrested for a public order offence after an argument with another taxi driver, the jury heard.

The court heard that Mr Taylor had been sitting in the front passenger seat of the Toyota Corolla and his girlfriend had been sitting behind him in the rear alongside another male friend.

Mr Akbar said he had picked up the trio just before 2am in Huddersfield town centre and the couple had started arguing as he drove off.

He said that Mr Taylor ended up kneeling on the front seat facing the rear of the taxi and suddenly there was a commotion.

Mr Akbar said: “All of a sudden I saw a leg from the back going between the seats.”

He conceded that it had only been a glimpse as he was concentrating on his driving.

“All of a sudden the commotion went quiet then the guy turned round and said: ‘My eye, my eye’.

“I knew there was something seriously wrong with the guy. He just sat down and slumped. He made a funny noise.”

Mr Akbar said the man spluttered a bit of blood from his mouth and he stopped outside the police station and blew his horn to attract the officers.

Prosecutor David McGonigal told the court that Mr Taylor was taken to Huddersfield Royal Infirmary where he underwent an operation, but when his condition deteriorated he was moved to a neuro-surgical intensive care unit at Leeds where he was monitored overnight.

He underwent another operation to treat the damaged blood vessel on his brain and he was eventually discharged almost a month after the incident.

“Surprisingly he has made a remarkably good recovery,” said Mr McGonigal.

Hargreaves has denied causing grievous bodily harm with intent and an alternative lesser allegation of inflicting grievous bodily harm.

Mr McGonigal told the jury that they would not be hearing from Mr Taylor during the trial because he had chosen not to take part in the proceedings.