A beauty queen attacked a woman with a red stiletto in a taxi queue days after competing in the Miss GB national finals. Taylor Gidley, 24, set upon her victim after attending Holcombe Harriers Hunt Ball at Owd Nells Tavern, near Preston, on October 24, 2024.
Attack in taxi queue
Gidley, wearing a red dress, screamed at another woman about "approaching Pete" about a cab, LancsLive reported. Preston Crown Court heard how there was a shortage of taxis at the event and the women had asked various people if they could share.
Prosecutor Mia Monahan said Gidley used her right shoe to hit the woman in the face. The woman fell to the floor in a daze. She later told police she had no memory of the attack. However, her friend said she had complained of pain in her head and had been sick. The following morning she woke with a 2cm jagged cut to her cheek and went to hospital.
Arrest and plea
Gidley was identified on social media and was arrested on October 25. She was released under investigation but arrested again on December 15, when her red dress and stilettos were found at her home in Padiham. She told officers she was acting in self defence and did not intend to cause an injury. She later pleaded guilty to section 20 wounding at Preston Crown Court.
Joe Allman, defending, said there were a number of references which described Gidley as a "kind, caring, empathetic and considerate person". He said she has a business studies degree and has found her vocation working with horses. He said the incident was "entirely out of character".
Victim impact and sentence
Her victim said: "I now have a scar on my face. I feel it is very noticeable and I am always self conscious. I feel anxious when I go out. It is not a normal thing to be hit in the face with a heel and it has taken a long time to process it. I don't like to be around drunk people - it makes me question whether that is what they are all like."
Sentencing, Recorder Ben Lawrence said: "It seems like you were angered by her asking a male you knew whether they could share a taxi. Whatever the cause of your anger it was wholly unjustified, which I am assured you agree with and I have no doubt it was influenced by your consumption of alcohol. You had in your hand one of your stiletto heels and you hit her in her cheek with that stiletto. She fell to the floor in a daze or unconscious and her friend said you continued to hit her."
The judge accepted the incident was out of character and Gidley has not committed any offences before or since. He sentenced Gidley, of Forest Green, Padiham, to nine months suspended for 12 months with 120 hours of unpaid work to be completed.
Throughout the hearing, Gidley sobbed in the dock, dressed in a white shirt and brown trousers. She was crowned as Miss Lancashire on Friday, June 21, 2024 at the Crow Wood Hotel & Spa in Burnley. The competition raises money for the charity A-sisterhood, which seeks to support, empower and protect women worldwide. Gidley went on to compete in the Miss GB finals on October 18, 2024, but lost out to Miss GB Edinburgh Ava Morgan.
