Beauty queen 'hit out' in self-defence

Sophie Cahill won the Miss Wales title in 2000

A tearful former Miss Wales accused of attacking a woman with a bottle after a row with a lap dancer over who was the prettiest, has told a court she acted in self-defence.

Sophie Cahill, 19, is accused of wounding with intent and wounding after an attack was launched on a friend of lap-dancer Amanda Wright, 21.

Nichola Hutchins, 28, needed 16 stitches to a slash wound on the side of her body after Ms Cahill allegedly attacked her at the Jimmy Dean nightclub in Chepstow.

I'd had an upsetting week. Things were on the rocks and with my husband being away we could not sort it out

Sophie Cahill

Ms Cahill, of Beachly, Chepstow, who appeared under her married named of Williams, has pleaded not guilty to the charges at Newport Crown Court.

Ms Cahill told the court that her marriage was under strain at the time of the incident, and her soldier husband was away on duty in Northern Ireland.

She claimed Miss Wright had made comments about her husband on the night of the alleged attack.

"I'd had an upsetting week. Things were on the rocks and with my husband being away we could not sort it out," she told the court.

"The topic of my marriage was sensitive.

"Amanda turned to me and said, 'Your husband is mine'.

"She said it in a sly way. It touched a nerve.

"I reacted because I was upset and kneed her on the thigh.

Sophie Cahill denies the charges

"But I did not strike her hard at all."

The court heard Ms Cahill went to the toilets because she was crying. While there she saod she was approached by Miss Wright, who called her a "flat-chested bitch".

"I told her she was being vicious and asked her why she had to be so horrible.

"I wanted to know why she had mentioned my husband, because my marriage was having a bad patch and I thought maybe she knew something I didn't," she said.

"I asked her if she was scared that I was taking attention away from her and she replied, 'Not with my pretty little face'."

Ms Cahill told the court Miss Wright became angry and waved a bottle at her, and asked her to go outside to fight.

I accept I was in a fight with the girl who was injured, and it puts a doubt in my mind if I could have caused the injuries

Sophie Cahill

She said Nichola Hutchins grabbed her around the throat, hitting her head against the wall.

"I started to black out, I could not breathe and I was trying to get her off me.

"I was defending my life. The bottle in my hand was the last thing on my mind because I was being attacked.

"At no stage was I aware of the bottle being broken.

Feud

"I accept I was in a fight with the girl who was injured, and it puts a doubt in my mind if I could have caused the injuries."

Ms Cahill told the court she had lied to police about not being in the club to save her family embarrassment.

""I was scared because my family are in the legal profession and I would have brought shame on them."

The court had earlier heard that Ms Cahill and Miss Wright had had an ongoing feud about which of them was more beautiful.

Miss Hitchens was taken to Royal Gwent Hospital in Newport following the attack, and had a gash six centimetres long and four centimetres deep.

Ms Cahill was arrested walking home from the club.

The mother-of-one denied being in Jimmy Dean's, but police found a stamp from the club on her hand.

The trial continues.