Louise Glover
Guilty glamour model faints in dock
A glamour model has fainted after being found guilty of attacking a woman in a nightclub toilet cubicle in a jealous row over her husband.
Former Playboy Model of the Year Louise Glover, 26, slumped to the floor of the dock after being convicted of assaulting Maxine Hardcastle, the daughter of 80s' musician Paul Hardcastle.
When she recovered, Glover sobbed and launched into a largely incoherent tirade at Judge Charles Kemp who shouted at her to calm down.
The judge warned her he would be considering all sentencing options, including the possibility of a jail term, when she appeared before him on February 4.
Glover was convicted of assault occasioning actual bodily harm following an hour's deliberation by the jury at Hove Crown Court.
The trial heard the model struck Miss Hardcastle's head against a toilet rim up to 10 times and tried to push her head down the lavatory. Miss Hardcastle, whose father is famed for his Vietnam-inspired dance hit 19, was left covered in blood with facial bruising, scratches on her arms and legs and hair loss.
Glover launched her vicious attack after accusing her of looking at her husband during a night out in Brighton, East Sussex. The model, who has made semi-naked appearances in magazines and newspapers, turned against Miss Hardcastle after telling her and her friend, Nancy Stillwell: "I know what you Essex girls are like."
The court heard Miss Hardcastle and Miss Stillwell had been invited by Glover to a personal appearance she was making at a sports bar in Brighton on December 15, 2007. The 10-strong party moved on in the early hours of the following morning to the Oceana nightclub in the city where Miss Hardcastle and Miss Stillwell went into the same toilet cubicle together. Glover was heard outside the cubicle and was let in by the other two women, but became agitated and accused them of looking at her husband, from whom she is now estranged.
Miss Hardcastle broke down at points during her evidence as she said the trigger for the attack came after she told Glover: "This is all messed up." At that point, Glover lifted up her arm and forcefully brought it down on Miss Hardcastle's nose, causing her to hit her head on the back of the cubicle. "I knew that my nose was broken because there was blood everywhere," said Miss Hardcastle. "But she just picked me up by my hair and pulled my body weight by my hair and did exactly the same thing again. She punched me on the nose and the same thing happened - I fell straight on the floor."
Glover told the court she acted in self-defence after Miss Hardcastle became emotional about apparent problems within her family and gripped her arms tightly. She claimed Miss Hardcastle became "hysterical" after accusing her of not listening to her problems. Glover, whose last UK address was Audley Gardens, Loughton, Essex, claimed the further injuries Miss Hardcastle sustained were as a result of the cubicle door being kicked in. She was released on conditional bail.
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