Woman screamed 'get away' before thug hit her in the face with a hammer

A woman screamed at a thug to 'get away from her house' before he hit her in the face with a hammer while her two children watched on.

Andrew Kirby launched the vicious attack on his girlfriend's sister following an argument in October last year, the Liverpool Echo reports. The 31-year-old's girlfriend Emma Sharelle was involved in an argument with her sister Leah, before Kirby became involved.

David Watson, prosecuting, told Liverpool Crown Court how at around 3am, Emma was at her address in Glebe Hey when she was woken by the defendant and his brother, Michael Kirby, at the front door.

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Both men directed verbal abuse at Ms Sharelle and her partner Ricky Kilvington. Ms Sharelle screamed at Kirby to 'get away from her house', as her children, aged 3 and 14, were present.

A scuffle then took place between Mr Kilvington, who had a hammer in his possession, and Kirby. Mr Watson said: "Ms Sharelle describes herself, in order to protect her partner, fighting in the front yard with the defendant and throwing him to the floor.

“Leah Sharelle then describes the defendant standing up from the floor armed with a hammer, and hitting her once in the face with it. She then punched the defendant in the face in self defence, causing him to fall over a wall."

Kirby and his brother then fled the scene. Ms Sharelle suffered a bi-lateral fracture to her nose, a wound to her lip and left eye, and bruising and swelling to her left foot.

Kirby was arrested on October 23 last year, and accepted attending the address but denied hitting the victim with a hammer. A victim personal statement was written by Ms Sharelle and detailed the long-term effects suffered by the