A young mother was sentenced to community service at Kingston Crown Court today after pleading guilty to a count of Actual Bodily Harm.

On August 22 last year at around half past midnight, 24-year-old Laura Looker became involved in a fight outside a pub and inflicted minor cuts and bruises upon Lauren Vince, 22. 

CCTV footage was displayed to the courtroom showing Miss Looker of Surrey Lane, Battersea kicking the claimant on her backside and throwing a bottle at her.  The defendant was seen to cry as his Honour Judge Dodgson said: “Imagine if your son saw that video in ten years time. Your behaviour was disgusting. “

Miss Looker arrived at The Windsor Castle Pub, Clapham Junction, at 10pm on the night in question and by the time of the incident had drunk nearly a bottle and a half of Rose wine.  She then witnessed her boyfriend being stabbed after a fight erupted between various men. The brawl spilled out into the street and a physical altercation also developed between some of the women who had been drinking in the pub.

A mother to a four-year-old boy, the Miss Looker was of previously good character, although she had had one remand for a very similar offence in 2002. Her lawyer, Mr Darnborough, claimed that at the time of the incident the defendant was under intense emotional strain, having just witnessed her boyfriend being stabbed, and that she had ongoing family problems. He emphasised that she did not start the affray but said that she fully accepted that she had become involved.

However, the judge did not accept much mitigation. His Honour Judge Dodgson said: “She didn’t ‘find herself’ in the middle of the incident, she ran towards it. The girl she attacked didn’t do the stabbing.”

The judge expressed regret that Miss Looker had not decided to write a letter of apology to the victim.  He ordered that she should be punished by 180 hours of unpaid work and should pay £100 of compensation to Miss Vince over the course of three months.

Mr Darnborough stated that his client, a single mother who does not have much formal education, had been inspired to change her life by the incident and now hopes to pursue a course in hairdressing, or to return to college.