An Ulster teenager has spoken of her regret over a violent incident that has seen her disqualified from a modelling competition.

Stephanie Crabtree (17) was overjoyed to hear she had got through to the finals of a national modelling competition.

But organisers of Teen Queen UK yesterday announced they had to disqualify the aspiring model from the contest after it was revealed she is serving a suspended jail sentence for assaulting two girls.

Yesterday, Stephanie, from Ballykelly, Co Londonderry, said she deeply regretted her actions and wanted to warn other teenagers of the dangers of drink-related violence.

She said: “I made a terrible mistake and I really regret what happened that night. I’m trying to move on now and get on with things but I’m paying for what I did.”

The teenager said she was walking back from a party in her home town in September 2007 when she got involved in an argument with a group of girls she knew.

She was carrying a vodka glass from the party and hit one girl across the face with it, giving her a gash that needed stitches.

She also hit another girl whose blood was left on her clothes.

Stephanie was prosecuted over the incident, which happened when she was 16, and pleaded guilty to two counts of grievous bodily harm.

In July last year she was handed a six-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, and was ordered to pay £750 compensation to each of her victims.

Yesterday she said: “I could never begin to explain how much I regret my actions that night and how sorry I am for the pain and upset I caused the girls and their families.

“I had had far too much to drink, I definitely wouldn’t get into that situation again.

“I pleaded guilty and faced up to what I did and now I have been punished for it. Now all I want to do is move on.”

Stephanie entered the Teen Queen competition last year after spotting a poster in her local shop.

The contest holds monthly heats, then a text vote decides who gets put through to the finals.

Stephanie was the second Northern Irish finalist after winning the October heat, until organisers discovered her convictions.

She said: “I’m doing a business and admin course but my dream is to be a model.

“Teen Queen seemed like an amazing opportunity to start a modelling career and I was over the moon when I got through to the final.

“I didn’t tell Teen Queen about my past because I wanted to be given the same chances as anyone else and I didn’t want to be judged on a silly mistake I made about a year-and-a-half ago.

“I’m really upset I’ve been disqualified but I understand why. The rules are that you can’t have convictions and I have.

“I just hope now by telling my story I can help other people and stop them from making the same mistake as me. I’m trying to put myself in the spotlight so I can get it all out in the open and so other girls can learn from me.

“My advice to anyone would be go out and have fun, but don’t go too far and think about things before you do them.”

Lina Perrini, national director of Teen Queen UK, said they were faced with no choice but to disqualify Stephanie.

She said: “The Teen Queen competition strives to find good role models to other teenagers.

“Although Stephanie appears to be genuinely sorry and regretful for the incident, we have been left with no choice but to disqualify her from the 2009 finals as this is the most responsible action we can take.”