A MUM has been jailed after she attacked her daughter following a drunken argument about music being played too loudly.

Michelle Gerrard, of The Crescent in Weaverham, bit her daughter’s forearm and stamped on her head as she dragged her across the floor during the attack on April 1, 2021.

The 39-year-old had denied the single charge of assault occasioning actual bodily harm against her daughter, who was 19 at the time of the attack.

However, despite claiming she had been acting in self-defence, was found guilty by a jury following a short trial at Chester Crown Court in June.

Judge Michael Leeming told Gerrard the attack had been so serious that only a period of immediate custody would be the appropriate form of punishment.

He told her she had two sides to her character – a public face that could be kind and caring, but a darker one behind closed doors when trying to deal with the pressures of the outside world and doing so in drink.

The court heard Gerrard’s daughter was not living with her at the time but was a regular visitor. On the evening in question, she and a friend had been having a party with others at the house while Gerrard was herself out drinking.

When she returned home, she told her daughter to turn down the volume of the music as she had previously had complaints from neighbours.

The 19-year-old disagreed, which resulted in Gerrard slapping her on the face and biting her forearm. She then dragged her from the sofa by her hair towards the front door and stamped on her face as she did so, causing her daughter to momentarily lose consciousness.

Despite pleas from her daughter’s friend to stop the attack, Gerrard continued to drag the teen towards the front door of the property. It was then the police were called.

The judge told Gerrard it had been 'a very ugly incident' and that domestic assaults weren’t restricted to those involving husbands and wives.

“There is more than one side to your character,” he said.

“There is a public side and then a darker side when in drink.

“Domestic violence is not just confined to husband and wives and partners either.

“Children can be victims of this type of offence too.

“Your daughter was entitled to feel safe in your home.”

Paulinus Barnes, prosecuting, read out a victim personal statement in which the daughter described how the incident had left her feeling isolated.

“I feel like it’s me who has done something wrong, rather than something my mum has done to me,” she said.

“It has damaged relationships with other members of my family.”

Duncan Bould, defending, said that despite everything that had happened, his client expressed only feelings of affection for her daughter.

“She hopes one day that they may be reconciled,” he said.

“She is fully capable of helping others but not herself.

“It’s hard to compare her behaviour that night with the character described by others who have known her for a number of years.”

Gerrard was sentenced to 36 weeks in prison and the judge also imposed a five-year restraining order to protect her daughter.