A mum attacked another woman outside a Cardiff bingo hall following a car crash. Hollie Barry injured Penny Evans' hand and wrist in the car park of Newport Road's Castle Bingo.
Prosecutor Mike Williams told Cardiff Magistrates' Court the assault took place at around 3pm on May 21 last year after someone had reversed their car into Barry's stationary vehicle. Barry, 27, got out and there was then a "disturbance", said Mr Williams.
Carol Anthony, mitigating, said: "My client was in the car with her two young children when an older lady reversed into her. Another lady then appeared. She was the one who was assaulted. She was a friend of the person who had reversed into my client's car.
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"My client felt intimidated because this other lady had come along and started filming the whole incident. She was fearful because she has been subject to domestic abuse and had her small children in the car so she felt vulnerable when the lady started filming her. She says really all she wanted to do was take the phone out of the lady's hand."
Mr Williams said Barry "twisted, grabbed, and squeezed" the victim's right hand as well as bending her fingers. She did not need medical treatment. The offence was initially charged as assault causing actual bodily harm (ABH) but later reduced to assault by beating.
Barry, of Countisbury Avenue in Llanrumney, admitted the assault. She is "lightly convicted" and was last before the courts in 2018 when she received a community order for shoplifting, the prosecutor added.
Ms Anthony said her client struggles with panic attacks and depression. She pointed out that the probation service's pre-sentence report said Barry was not a danger to the public. "They feel this is a one-off," the solicitor told the magistrates. "Almost nine months on there is no suggestion she has been in trouble since then."
Presiding Justice Mohammed Yakub told Barry: "It wasn't a very pleasant incident to be on the receiving end of. We are going to take a pragmatic view. We will impose a 12-month conditional discharge. You are on a warning. Behave yourself for the next 12 months and this offence will go away."
Barry must pay £100 in compensation to the victim, prosecution costs of £85, and a £22 victim services surcharge. The defendant will pay at a rate of £10 per fortnight which will be deducted from her universal credit benefits. You can read more of the latest Welsh court news here.
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