A drunken woman who punched a pensioner in the face outside a West Yorkshire pub has been ordered to pay £3,000 in compensation to the victim.

Bradford Crown Court heard how Denise Ogden, 36, who had drunk seven or eight pints, had been arguing with her partner in The Plummet Line in Halifax town centre on the evening of August 9 last year when both were asked to leave by staff.

Prosecutor Philip Adams said the couple initially did so but then returned inside where the row continued.

They were again asked to leave and went into a seated area where Ogden was said to be “behaving erratically”.

She was then approached by a 75-year-old fellow customer who told her to leave.

Ogden was heard to say, “What the f*** are you going to do about it?” before punching the woman in the face.

The incident was caught on the pub’s CCTV cameras and showed a 40-second conversation followed by the unprovoked assault. Ogden then walked away laughing.

The victim was given first aid by staff and the police were called. Ogden was arrested in the early hours of the following morning.

She admitted punching the elderly woman but said she had been “in her face” and that she “lashed out as she felt intimidated”.

The woman later required surgery for a fractured cheekbone that involved the insertion of a metal plate.

In a statement read to the court the victim said she suffered from acute anxiety following the “traumatic” incident, and struggled to sleep. She said her confidence had been “shattered” and that she still suffered with headaches and pain to her face.

Ogden later pleaded guilty to wounding/inflicting grievous bodily harm without intent.

Mitigating, Conor Quinn said Ogden, of Alloe Field Place, Halifax, was remorseful and ashamed over the incident and had taken steps to remedy her behaviour by reducing her drinking.

He said she suffered from epilepsy and depression as well as a mental health disorder caused by a brain injury she suffered at the age of 18.

He said the disorder meant she could be “volatile”.

Mr Recorder Abdul Iqbal KC said Ogden had been given the chance to leave the pub but chose not to, instead becoming violent and aggressive towards an “obviously vulnerable” victim.

He said: “When you had the opportunity you punched the [victim] to the left side of her face with your right hand.

“Why you thought it was funny to assault that old lady in that way is beyond me.”

He rejected Ogden’s argument that she felt intimidated, adding: “I am sure that you lashed out because you were angry and aggressive.

“This was an offence committed whilst you were drinking against a vulnerable victim who was only trying to defuse the situation.

“If you had not been drunk you would have walked away.”

He sentenced her to 12 months imprisonment suspended for 18 months and ordered her to pay £3,000 in compensation to the victim from money Ogden had received for her brain injury.

She was also ordered to participate in a 120-day alcohol abstinence programme, undertake 20 rehabilitation activity requirements days, and pay costs of £350 plus the victim surcharge.