A woman who made "a vicious and unprovoked attack" on a Stourport postman as he sat in his van in the Post Office yard has walked free from Worcester Crown Court.

Recorder Richard Rundell told Lisa Boswell, 26, that she had escaped prison "by a whisker." He suspended a nine-month jail sentence for two years.

Boswell, of Lickhill Road, Stourport, was convicted last month of assaulting 20-year-old postman Steven Scarrett causing him actual bodily harm and of common assault on his father Thomas, 47.

The court heard that the assault happened after she accused him of smirking and grinning at her in the street. She and her husband, Dolphus, who is awaiting sentence after pleading guilty to assault causing actual bodily harm, attacked Steven Scarrett as he sat in his van making out a mileage sheet.

Tony Badenoch, defending, said that Boswell had made good progress after being put on probation in May last year.

She had real concerns for her family and was hoping to make a fresh start by moving away from the area.

Recorder Rundell said he accepted there was a history of difficulties between Boswell's family and the victim's family but she had taken part in a vicious and unprovoked attack on an innocent victim.

Boswell had a history of violent confrontation, particularly with people in authority, but he was showing lenience because of her progress on probation and the need for her to look after her two-year-old daughter.