POLICE have released images of a group of people they want to speak to about an attack which left a young woman scarred for life.

Kirsty Rustman was celebrating a friend’s birthday in a Newcastle bar when a woman smashed a glass into her face after a dancefloor confrontation.

The 30-year-old was left with a three-inch gash across her face, just millimetres from her eye, which she said has “changed my life”.

Now police have issued CCTV stills of a group of people they want to speak to in connection with the attack at Livello bar at around 11pm on February 4.

The victim, originally from Essex but now living in Durham, was out with friends when a woman threw a drink over fiancé Matthew Hurst on the dancefloor, then smashed the glass into Miss Rustman’s forehead.

She underwent treatment at the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle, where she received nine stitches for the injury.

Now detectives investigating the case have released images of a group they would like to speak to in connection with the incident.

DC Paul Horner, from Northumbria Police, said: "These witnesses have had plenty of opportunities to come forward and it is vital we speak to them.

"We believe they were with the offender on the evening of the assault and so we want to speak to them about what took place in the bar that night.

"Family, friends and colleagues of those in the image will know who they are and we would appeal for those people to do the right thing and contact police.

"Kirsty has been deeply affected by this assault but she has been immensely brave throughout our investigation and we will be doing all we can to identify the suspect in this case.

"We would ask the people in this image to think about the impact this has had on Kirsty and contact police on 101 or by coming in to one of our stations.

"We would also directly appeal to the woman responsible for this assault to come forward and work with us to establish what happened that evening."

The attacker was in her late 20s or early 30s and heavily made-up.

She is described as being white, around 5ft 5ins tall and of medium build, with long straight dark hair and wearing dark clothing.