Jail for drunken mum who fought with her daughter - court

9:37am Tuesday 13th May 2008

A WORCESTER woman has been sentenced to more than five months in prison for repeatedly smashing her daughter's head against a concrete pavement outside a bar in the city centre.

Patricia Carr committed the offence after she got into a drunken argument with her daughter at Lloyd's in Crown Passage after a day out shopping together, Worcester magistrates were told.

Lesley Ashton, prosecuting, said the pair drank three bottles of wine between them before another customer spotted them falling out with each other at 9.10pm on Friday, February 15.

Mrs Ashton said: "He said they both appeared to be very drunk.

"The daughter threw a pint of beer over her mother and also a glass of wine. The bouncers saw that and took them out of the pub through a side exit.

"The mother swung a punch at the daughter but missed by miles.

"The daughter hit her mother who fell to the ground and caught her back on a flower pot."

The pair continued to fight when both of them fell to the ground outside the pub.

Mrs Ashton said: "Carr then took hold of her daughter's hair and started banging her face into the ground about five or six times, by which time the daughter and mother were separated by two men."

Carr, 41, of Edgeworth Close, Warndon, admitted a charge of displaying threatening or abusive behaviour that could cause others to fear violence would be used against them.

Mrs Ashton said onlookers were shocked by the incident, especially when it became apparent the women were related.

She said Carr could not remember being arrested but said during an interview with police that she felt awful for what she had done.

In mitigation Mark Lister said his client suffered from diabetes and depression.

He said: "Clearly the offence is one which shouldn't have happened but the use of alcohol and her existing illness made it more likely to happen than not.

"The fault is not all on one side. There was a significant amount of provocation. They were both dealt with by police."

Mr Lister said the daughter did not suffer any injuries as a result of the fight and did not want to press charges.

He also said Carr had since cut down on her drinking and was on medication to tackle her depression.

The defendant's daughter stormed out of the courtroom in disgust as magistrates sentenced a tearful Carr to 16 weeks in prison and added another six weeks because she had breached a suspended sentence imposed in April last year.

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