A WOMAN who screamed ‘baby killer’ and threw hot coffee at two shoppers on a town centre street in a brutal broad daylight attack has been jailed.
The two victims, a mother and daughter, had been out shopping in Golden Square Shopping Centre when the horrifying incident occurred on May 9.
It was heard, at Warrington Magistrates Court on Tuesday, that Patricia Caple had known the individuals, and they were former acquaintances.
Caple had spotted the two women in the popular Warrington shopping district and had shouted out to one of the victims ‘baby killer’, before proceeding to enter nearby Café Nero and buy a hot coffee.
The 41-year-old, of Redshank Lane, Birchwood, took the coffee outside and slung it over one of the victim’s arms, causing reddening to the skin of her left shoulder.
In an attempt to flee from the defendant, the two women left the shopping centre, the court heard, but Caple persisted and followed them while continuing to shout threats and abuse.
The pair flagged down a taxi as the offender caught up with them and attempted to attack one of them as they fought to get into the car.
One victim was able to enter the taxi safely, however the other was met with violence by Caple, who grabbed and kicked her before she could enter the vehicle.
The car left the scene, and the defendant was later arrested.
Prosecuting, Val Tonkinson detailed another incident of assault that occurred on June 3 this year.
This incident was captured on CCTV and the footage showed Caple following a woman across a road in Warrington.
When she caught up with the victim, she was said to have ‘struck her with her right fist’ to the face, causing bruising to the woman’s bottom lip.
In a police interview following the incident, the defendant told officers that she acted in that way because the victim had been allegedly ‘spreading rumours about her family’.
A third incident was addressed in the hearing, a public disorder matter, which took place on April 25.
Ms Tonkinson said the defendant arrived at an address on Hillock Lane in Woolston with a group of people.
Footage captured from surveillance in the area showed Caple pushing a woman numerous times in an ‘aggressive manner’ and shouting ‘let me f*****g get you’.
The defendant entered guilty pleas to three counts of assault by beating and a public disorder offence.
Due to the offences breaching a previous eight-week suspended sentence, the court heard, this sentence was then activated.
Caple was handed a further eight-week sentence per each of the three assaults, with no further punishment for the public disorder offence.
She was sentenced in full by the magistrate bench to 32 weeks in prison and was ordered to pay £60 in compensation to each victim.
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