Incident involving phone leads to punishment for Carse woman

A shopper kicked a girl in the frozen pizza aisle at Asda after being mocked over the quality of her mobile phone.

The 43-year-old woman lashed out when the girl abused her because the signal had failed as she had tried to buy boots from eBay.

Catherine Ruddy was with the girl and another youngster in the supermarket and had given her the phone to try to bid for the footwear.

Depute-fiscal Bill Kermode told Perth Sheriff Court yesterday: “As the accused was shopping in the frozen pizza aisle, the girl was on a mobile phone bidding on a pair of boots being offered on eBay.

“She was having difficulty maintaining connection and became increasingly agitated that she may lose out on the auction. She lost her signal and lost out on the auction.

“She blamed the accused for that and gave her poor mobile phone as the primary reason.

“The girl became angrier and angrier. The behaviour and tone of language angered the accused and she kicked out at the girl with her foot.

“It connected with her thigh, causing her to cry out, but she was not injured.”

Ruddy, of Daleally Crescent, Errol, admitted that on various occasions between January 14 and February 21 last year she kicked the girl on the body.

The court was told that Ruddy lashed out again when the girl threw a deodorant can to her and accidentally struck her with it.

Sheriff Lindsay Foulis ordered Ruddy to carry out 50 hours’ unpaid work in the community.