Thug’s savage attack on her mum and gran

DRUNK JAILED FOR ASSAULTS

A DRUNK thug bit, strangled and kneed her elderly grandmother in the stomach during a violent attack in her own home.

Tamsin Cairns left the pensioner with bruising and scratches on her face and body after she suddenly flipped one afternoon in August, a court heard.

But the 24-year-old’s violent spree didn’t end there and, just weeks later, she launched another attack, this time punching her own mother five times in the face.

On that occasion, she shouted “I’m going to ****ing kill you, I’m going to strangle you” before her mum managed to flee to a bedroom and call the police, magistrates were told.

Now, Cairns, who is of no fixed abode but is from the Morpeth area of Northumberland, has been jailed for 22 weeks after she pleaded guilty to two counts of common assault, as well as breaching a restraining order, attempted theft and breaching a community order.

Laura Lax, prosecuting at South East Northumberland Magistrates’ Court, said the attack on her grandmother happened on August 16 when she had gone round to her house.

Everything seemed fine and she left but returned two hours later with her boyfriend and was “clearly drunk”.

A row broke out and Cairns shouted to her grandmother “shut up, or I will hit you”, the court was told.

Miss Lax said: “Suddenly, Tamsin lost control and leaped on top of her grandmother. Tamsin had both hands around her neck and was on top of her.

“The grandmother couldn’t get up as Tamsin was strangling her. She had her hands around her neck but didn’t apply much pressure. She didn’t restrict her breathing but it stopped her from getting up.”

The court heard that, despite efforts from her boyfriend to pull her off, Cairns continued with the attack and grabbed the pensioner’s face and cheeks.

Ms Lax added: “Tamsin then kneed her in the stomach. She also kicked her in the back of her legs. Tamsin tried to bite her when suddenly she got off her and sat back down.”

The shocked grandmother, who had never been attacked by Cairns before, asked her to leave but she refused until another relative came around and intervened.

Ms Lax told magistrates: “As a result, [the grandmother] suffered a large bruise on her cheek, about one inch in length and a large 50p piece in diameter.

“She thinks she had been bitten. She had scratch marks to her right breast area and collarbone and soreness and bruising to her shoulder and elbow.”

In a statement, the victim said: “I’m shocked Tamsin has assaulted me. I fear she may assault me in the future when she’s drunk. “I don’t want anything more to do with her.” Despite being reported to the police, Cairns attacked her own mother a few weeks later on September 10.

This time, she breached a restraining order banning her from going to her mum’s house by attending at around 7.30pm, again under the influence of booze.

Ms Lax said: “An argument broke out and Tamsin turned on her [her mother], shouting and screaming and punching her face five times in the face.”

The court was told Cairns threatened to kill her mum before she managed to take refuge and call the police.

Kyle Patterson, defending, said Cairns suffered from an alcohol problem and had been having issues with her mother since childhood.

He added: “She’s particularly upset in the way she conducted herself with her grandmother because she was a stabilising factor in her life and she can’t explain that.”

As well as locking her up, magistrates ordered Cairns to pay £100 compensation to her grandmother and £50 to her mum.