"I have never witnessed a parent assaulting a child like this."
Ghazala Mahmood, aged 44, of Longsight, Manchester, received a suspended sentence for attacking a 15-year-old schoolgirl.
Manchester Crown Court heard that Mahmood had become involved in a row between the victim and her daughter which had played out on social media.
This escalated into a heated altercation outside Levenshulme High School in April 2019.
The victim was challenged to a fight by the other children.
One teacher described how people jumped on one another “like a rugby pile”.
As the victim was leaving school at around 3 pm, she was confronted by Mahmood and her daughter, as well as another mother and her daughter.
Mahmood “took the lead” in the “joint assault” on the girl. She grabbed the girl’s hair and dragged her to the floor.
During the fight, Mahmood grabbed the victim’s hair so hard that a “large clump” came out.
The other three women jumped on the girl and she was hit in the face and stomach.
Two teachers witnessed the attack and ran over to intervene.
However, when Mahmood called the police, she claimed that she was the victim.
The teenage victim later received “intimidating” messages from an anonymous Instagram account, “glorifying” the fact she had been “fu**** up”.
A teacher at the all-girls school made a statement which said:
“I have never witnessed a parent assaulting a child like this. I was disgusted at her behaviour.”
The incident left the schoolgirl with a small cut and bruise near her eye and she was taken to hospital.
Judge Richard Mansell QC explained that the attack will have caused the schoolgirl “huge anxiety for some time” as she returned to school.
At the magistrates’ court, Mahmood was found guilty of causing actual bodily harm. But on March 18, 2020, it was heard that she continues to deny the offence.
Judge Mansell told Mahmood:
“It is a pity that you have been unable to reflect on your actions, and accept that what you did was wholly wrong.
“No parent should ever intervene in a dispute between a child and another child, and certainly not with physical violence.”
The judge went on to say that due to the severity of the offence, he could have sent Mahmood to prison but he decided to spare her jail.
The court heard that Mahmood is a single mother to her four children, following the breakdown of her marriage. She also cares for her unwell mother.
Judge Mansell said that Mahmood’s actions were “wholly out of character” and the recent breakdown of her marriage was a “major factor” in her actions.
He added that she already received “significant punishment” through the loss of her good character and the effects of criminal proceedings hanging over her.
Manchester Evening News reported that Mahmood received an 18-week prison sentence, suspended for 12 months. She was also ordered to complete 20 rehabilitation activity requirement days.
Loading ...