Model glassed in pub row accused of breastfeeding her newborn while on drugs
The model, who was scarred for life in a horror glassing attack, will now stand trial
A MODEL who was scarred for life in a horror glass attack has been accused of breastfeeding a newborn baby while on drugs.
Jo Minto allegedly caused the child to become unwell after feeding it while on a "controlled drug".
The 28-year-old is accused of putting the newborn at risk of harm and suffering, Livingston Sheriff Court heard.
Prosecutors say she “wilfully exposed” the child in a manner “likely to cause unnecessary suffering or injury to health”.
Minto was left scarred for life and blinded in one eye after a pint glass exploded in her face as she sat chatting to friends in a pub in 2007.
The thug who threw the glass had been aiming at the man sitting beside her.
The attack left Jo with tiny shards of glass embedded in her eye and she needed 35 stitches.
Minto, who worked with fashion label Diesel before the attack, decided to leave the catwalk, but has since revived her career.
She is now due to stand trial for the "unusual" breastfeeding charge, according to the .
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Last night top lawyer Paul Kavanagh said: “It’s a very unusual thing to be prosecuted for.
“Never in my career have I come across this particular charge.
“In general terms, it’s interesting from a legal point of view because so many issues could arise.
“For example, lots of drugs are ‘controlled’ — so could a woman breastfeed a child after ingesting an antihistamine?
“Or, having consumed a drug, does someone not then feed a child and let it go hungry?”
Minto was on the brink of a blossoming career when thug Alexander Varndell threw the glass in a pub in East Lothian, in February 2007.
She was forced to endure painful plastic surgery as doctors spent four days prising the tiny pieces of glass from her face and eye.
Jo said: "I couldn't look at myself in a mirror for ages afterwards and when I eventually did I just burst into tears.
"But all that is in the past and I'm just looking forward to resurrecting my career."
Varndell was sentenced to two years in prison for the attack following a trial at Edinburgh Sheriff Court.
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