A THUG 'stabbed' a woman in the neck with a screwdriver after she became "angry over how she was treated".
Sammy Jo Paton was jailed after pleading guilty to one charge of assault at Kilmarnock Sheriff Court.
The 33-year-old made the admission following an incident in the Sloan Avenue area of Irvine on February 15.
At around 2.30pm that day, the victim had been at home along with her partner and another female friend, prosecutor Craig Wainwright told the court.
The property buzzer then rang, with the group assuming that it was a delivery driver at the door.
However, Paton - described as a prisoner at HMP Stirling - then walked into the home holding a screwdriver which was about six inches long.
She initially started arguing with the other woman who was present before the homeowner tried to intervene.
Paton struck her in the neck with the tool "in a stabbing motion".
The court heard that there was a brief further exchange between Paton and the woman before an ambulance was called to tend to the victim.
Following the 999 call, the Scottish Ambulance Service also asked for police to attend.
Officers arrived whilst paramedics were already on the scene, treating the victim who was on the living room floor.
Her puncture wound was treated with no further assistance required. She refused to provide a full statement afterwards.
The weapon was recovered nearby and Paton was arrested and charged almost a week later.
Paton was also sentenced on separate offences, including attempted fraud and assault.
Defending, solicitor Neil McPherson stated that his client had a challenging upbringing before she was "let out into the world" at 18.
"She struggled from the moment she started," he added. "That situation led to an unhappy life, struggling to fit in.
"She spiralled out of control and started using heroin. She couldn’t face what her life had become. These matters come directly out of heroin addiction."
In relation to her attempted fraud, Mr McPherson said the man who owned the card was "someone who tried to look after" Paton - but "the temptation got too much".
The lawyer stated that Paton "acted very badly" when she carried out the screwdriver attack.
He added: "She was angered by the way she was treated by people that she thought were friends."
Mr McPherson conceded that a custodial sentence was inevitable but asked that consideration be given to Paton's early pleas, which avoided the need for a trial.
Sheriff George Jamieson imposed a 14-month custodial term backdated to her initial remand on February 24.
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