This is the young mum who was battered outside school gates by a parent furious that their daughters had fallen out.
Mother-of-three Charlene Harkin, 37, was dragged to the ground by her ponytail and repeatedly kicked in the face by Jessica Kitching, 25, during the school run in Lancaster.
Kitching was collecting her daughter from school when she set upon Ms Harkin, who was the mother of her daughter’s then classmate in September 2023.
Last night Ms Harkin – known as Charlie – told MailOnline how upsetting the shocking attack had been.
She said: ‘This has been a complete trauma for all of us.
‘I have had to pull my three kids out of that school because I never felt we were safe.’
‘I have had to take six months off work.’
The two women’s daughters had previously been friends, but there had been a falling out during the school holidays, Preston Crown Court heard.
This is Charlene Harkin – the young mum who was battered outside school gates by a parent furious that their daughters had fallen out
The mother-of-three was collecting her daughter from school when she set upon
Jessica Kitching (pictured) is said to have dragged Harkin to the ground by her ponytail and kicked her in the face during the incident in September 2023
The judge, who gave Kitching a suspended prison sentence, said she was ‘unable to control’ her behaviour.
The court heard how on September 21, Kitching followed the victim out of the playground of the school and grabbed her by her hair.
She dragged her to the ground and knelt on her chest before kicking her repeatedly in the face.
Ms Harkin begged her to stop because they were outside the school and there were children present.
Another friend dragged Kitching off but as she walked away, she shouted: ‘I know where you live. I’ll f***ing kill you.’
The victim went to Lancaster Royal Infirmary with grazes and bruises to her face.
Doctors said they suspected a hairline fracture to her nose, however she did not attend a follow-up appointment 10 days later as she said she felt a lot better.
In a victim statement, Ms Harkin said she was embarrassed and humiliated to have been attacked on the school run in front of other parents and children.
Charlene was also worried Kitching would turn up at her house, she said.
Kitching, 25, from Lancaster, battered the woman outside the school gates after their daughters had a falling out, Preston Crown Court heard
In a victim statement, Ms Harkin said she was embarrassed and humiliated to have been attacked on the school run in front of other parents and children
Since the attack the children have played together and there have been no further incidents, a judge was told.
Defence lawyers said the attack was out of character for Kitching, who has no previous convictions.
She could not explain why she had lost her temper, but told a probation officer she was ashamed of what she had done and wanted to apologise to her victim.
Kitching pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
Sentencing, the judge Recorder Ayesha Siddiqi said: ‘This happened near a school and in the presence of children.
‘You were unable to control your behaviour in front of the children.
‘She must have been terrified by being pulled to the floor and kicked by you.
‘There was the use of a shod foot as a weapon.
‘This offence is so serious and your behaviour that day was so unacceptable that only a custodial sentence can be justified. Your behaviour that day was appalling.’
However the judge said there was a realistic prospect of rehabilitation and Kitching’s child would suffer if her mother was sent to prison.
She handed down a sentence of 30 weeks in prison, suspended for 12 months, with 15 days rehabilitation activities and 60 hours of unpaid work in the community.
