A 24-year old mother was sentenced to community service today after pleading guilty to the charge of actual bodily harm for the attack of a young woman outside a pub last summer.

Laura Looker, of Surrey Lane in Battersea, inflicted cuts and bruises on 22-year old Lauren Vince, after a fight broke out outside the Windsor Castle Pub by Clapham Junction station on August 22 last year. 

The court was shown CCTV footage of Ms Looker kicking the claimant and hurling a bottle at her, after she had reportedly consumed one and a half bottles of wine.   However, before the incident, Ms Looker had witnessed her boyfriend being stabbed in the back by members of a local gang, in a brawl that erupted outside the pub.

Ms Looker, who was of previously good character, was under intense emotional strain at the time of the incident, according to her lawyer, Mr Darnborough.  As well as witnessing her boyfriends’ stabbing, she was also dealing with ongoing family problems.  However he said that she fully accepted her involvement in the attack.

Sentencing the defendant at Kingston Crown Court, Judge Dodgson described her behaviour as “disgraceful”, and made clear that in his judgement, she had not merely found herself in the middle of the incident, but had run towards it.  He said: “Imagine if your son saw that video in ten years time.  Your behaviour was disgusting.”

She was ordered to complete 180 hours of unpaid work, and to pay £100 in compensation to the victim, over the course of three months.