A mum screamed “I’ll f****** kill you” as she battered a fellow-mother outside their children’s school gates.
After their daughters had a falling out, Jessica Kitching dragged the fellow mum to the ground by her ponytail and kicked her in the face, a court heard. The 25-year-old, from Lancaster, set upon the mum of her daughter’s classmate while picking up her daughter from school in September, 2023.
Preston Crown Court heard that the children were friends, but there had been a falling out during the school holidays. On September 21 of that year, Kitching followed the woman out of the school playground and grabbed her by the hair, it was heard. She then dragged her to the ground and knelt on her chest before repeatedly kicking her in the face, reports LancsLive.
The victim begged Kitching to stop as they were outside the school and children were watching. Kitching was dragged off the woman by another friend, but as she walked away she screamed: “I know where you live. I’ll f****** kill you.”
The victim went to hospital with grazes and bruises to her face. Doctors said they suspected a hairline fracture to her nose, however the woman did not attend a follow up appointment 10 days later as she said she felt a lot better.
In a victim statement read out in court, she said she was embarrassed and humiliated to have been attacked on the school run in front of other parents and children. She said she considered changing her daughter’s school but did not think it was appropriate.
She was also worried Kitching would turn up at her house. A judge was told, since the attack the children have played out together and there have been no further incidents.
The court heard the attack was out of character for Kitching, who has no previous convictions. She could not explain why she had lost her temper but told a probation officer she was ashamed of what she had done and wanted to apologise. She pleaded guilty to assault occasioning ABH.
Sentencing, Recorder Ayesha Siddiqi said: “This happened near a school and in the presence of children. You were unable to control your behaviour in front of the children. She must have been terrified by being pulled to the floor and kicked by you. There was the use of a shod foot as a weapon.
“This offence is so serious and your behaviour that day was so unacceptable that only a custodial sentence can be justified. Your behaviour that day was appalling.”
However the judge said that Kitching’s child would suffer if her mum was sent to prison and there was a realistic prospect of rehabilitation. She handed down a sentence of 30 weeks in prison, suspended for 12 months, with 15 days rehabilitation activities and 60 hours of unpaid work in the community.
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