Young mother attacked adversary with baseball bat
A young mother called off a fight with an old adversary because she could not find a babysitter to look after her child.
However the arch-rival turned up at Sarah Herd’s house at three o’ clock on Saturday morning after sending her 15 text messages.
Herd, 21, of Leaside in Firth, responded by “jabbing” a baseball bat into the woman’s face, causing a bleeding nose and bruising to both eyes.
Herd then phoned the police and told them what had happened.
She was taken into custody and appeared in the dock today, where she admitted carrying out the assault to injury.
The court was told there was bad blood between Herd and her complainer.
Procurator fiscal Duncan MacKenzie said Herd had sent the complainer a text message on Friday inviting her to a fight. However she called the fight off because she was unable to get a babysitter to look after her two-year old while she went off to do battle.
But in Saturday’s early hours the complainer went to Herd’s house and hammered on the door, challenging Herd to the fight.
“Instead of phoning the police she retrieved a baseball bat she was keeping, for some reason, in her bedroom and went to confront the complainer. She jabbed the baseball bat into the complainer’s face before retiring inside and then phoning the police,” said Mr MacKenzie.
Defence agent Tommy Allan said Herd had been provoked into acting as she had. The complainer had sent 15 texts on the night in question, and was not alone when she eventually turned up at the house.
“The knocking on the door turned into banging and she [Herd] snapped.”
He said Herd had co-operated with the police and had no previous convictions.
However Sheriff Philip Mann said the story sounded like something from the “Wild West”.
“You can’t behave in that sort of manner. Having heard I am proceeding on the basis that there was significant provocation.”
He deferred sentence on Herd for six months to prove she could stay out of trouble. She will appear in court again on 31st October.
