Last two paragraphs read: "He said: "She was on anti-depressants at the time. It seems the combination of those circumstances and difficulties at the time led her to flare up in an inappropriate, serious manner."

" 'There was a conversation and she reacted in a completely inappropriate manner'."

http://www.thisisnottingham.co.uk/homenews/Mum-jailed-vicious-city-centre-attack/article-1331385-detail/article.html

Mum-of-three jailed after vicious city centre attack

Saturday, September 12, 2009, 07:00

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A MOTHER-OF-THREE has been jailed for a year after attacking a woman she accused of being a prostitute.

Kerrie Thomas, 31, of Stotfield Road, Bilborough, repeatedly punched the woman in the face and kicked her.

The victim, who had been out with a friend on Valentine's Night, lost her little fingernails as she defended herself and had scratches to her jaw and a swollen nose.

Police came to her rescue and tracked down and arrested Thomas.

At Nottingham Crown Court, Thomas pleaded guilty to assault causing actual bodily harm.

Judge Dudley Bennett said she would get credit for her plea, but added: "This was a very serious assault. It was a gratuitous assault, unprovoked, upon another woman of a similar sort of age.

"You punched her and kicked her in the face on the floor, and it has had a profound effect on her. The fact remains you have a number of prior convictions for violence, house burglary, robbery and wounding in 2001. This kind of gratuitous violence cannot be tolerated."

The victim, aged 36, had been with a friend at 2am on Sunday, February 15, when she was attacked.

She was eating food in St James's Street, Nottingham city centre, when she saw Thomas with an elderly friend and went to check he was OK as she thought he was vulnerable.

Thomas came over, said, "how dare you", and accused the woman of being a prostitute and taking advantage of the man, the court heard.

Robbie Singh, prosecuting, said after Thomas punched the woman in the face, she fell to the floor and curled up in a ball. She was then kicked in the face. Afterwards, the victim had bruising to her head and could not brush her hair or speak properly for a week.

"In April this year she said she was nervous, her confidence has gone and she has to be met in town if she catches a bus on her own," said Mr Singh.

Andrew Wesley, mitigating, said Thomas was previously in a long-term relationship that broke up against a background of domestic violence.

He said: "She was on anti-depressants at the time. It seems the combination of those circumstances and difficulties at the time led her to flare up in an inappropriate, serious manner.

"There was a conversation and she reacted in a completely inappropriate manner."

rebecca.sherdley@nottinghameveningpost