Former Geordie Shore star ordered to pay compensation to victim

A court has heard a former cast member of TV reality show Geordie Shore has lost half her income since she punched a woman on a night out.

Chantelle Connelly, 27, had denied grievous bodily harm on the 22-year-old she had been talking to in a Newcastle bar in October, but was convicted by magistrates after a trial.

Chairman of the Bench Leswyn McCallum ordered her to carry out a 12-month community order, 200 hours of unpaid work, pay £2,500 compensation to her victim, £620 court costs and an £85 surcharge.

Connelly can pay that off at £100 a month, Newcastle Magistrates' Court agreed.

John Wesencraft, defending, said: There is going to be quite a catastrophic effect on Miss Connelly's income as a result of these proceedings.''

He said she made money from endorsing products on her Instagram account.

He said: Prior to these proceedings her income was fairly substantial, it has roughly halved since these proceedings.

She has largely been dropped by the people who were putting work in her direction.''

There was no prospect of a return to TV work and she left Geordie Shore last year, the court heard.

Connelly's monthly outgoings exceeded her income, Mr Wesencraft said, and she was coming under pressure from her bank.

Connelly continued to deny any part in the jealousy-fuelled attack.

The TV personality and the woman were introduced in the VIP area of a bar called Bijoux and were part of a larger group who were dancing and chatting. But the mood changed when they moved to a different bar and Connelly became jealous about an ex-boyfriend, and repeatedly asked if she had been with him.

Holly Common, prosecuting, said the victim felt intimidated as Connelly shouted at her.

The group split and the woman and friends headed to the Powerhouse nightclub, but Connelly caught up with them outside and, after grabbing her phone to check Facebook, she launched an attack.

The victim suffered a cut to the mouth, which needed stitches, and fractured her wrist when she fell, the court heard.

The Chairman of the Bench said: The victim suffered serious injury which required immediate and ongoing treatment as well as the continuing effect on her mental health.''

Connelly insisted it was a case of mistaken identity and she was nowhere near the incident.