London - An actress and model who launched an ‘animalistic’ attack on a woman after a day at the races sacked her barrister in court for saying she ‘looked a million dollars’.
Eliza Peereboom, 23, bit the victim’s leg so badly she needed a tetanus jab as they travelled home from Newbury Racecourse .
She was found guilty of assault by beating and was due to be sentenced this week – but proceedings had to be halted after she sacked her lawyer Thomas Quinton.
Peereboom took exception to Mr Quinton’s comment as she appeared at Reading Crown Court in sunglasses, high heels and smart clothes, the hearing was told.
Mr Quinton told the court: ‘Today she is dressed like a million dollars. She is doing the best she can do to feel some value. That has been her focus. She informs me that her sunglasses are actually worth £2 and she shops in Primark.’
After a pause in proceedings to allow Mr Quinton to take instructions, he returned and said his client was not speaking to him any more.
‘The defendant is very unhappy with what I have said in court so Miss Kate Parker will be defending her from now on.’
The court heard how victim Gabriella Marabet, 25, was left with a permanent scar after the attack in August last year.
Dutch-born Peereboom, of Harlesden, north-west London, is currently staying with friends in Amsterdam – causing problems for the Probation Service as she would be required to commute to the UK to do seven hours of unpaid work a week.
Judge Sarah Campbell said the defendant’s prior warning for biting a police officer when she was 15 and her difficult upbringing in the care system had been considered.
Adjourning sentence, she told Peereboom: ‘You are 23 years of age and you were found guilty of assault by beating and causing actual bodily harm while on a busy train, which in my view was deeply unpleasant and animalistic.’
The judge deferred sentencing for two months to allow Peereboom to find a place to live in the UK or instead find a job to pay compensation.