A MOTHER-OF-TWO attacked a babysitter after she saw mobile phone footage of the teenager harming a pet rabbit, a court heard yesterday.

Lorriane Longstaff, 20, returned home on April 10 after going out for an hour-and-ahalf, and saw that her rabbit was limping.

Other people in the house had filmed the attack on their mobile phones, and when Longstaff saw the footage she assaulted the 14-year-old girl.

Adrienne Harris, prosecuting, told Darlington Magistrates' Court that Longstaff punched the girl as many as 20 times.

Ms Harris said the girl had been invited along with other people to Longstaff's home address in Hercules Street, Darlington.

They had been drinking during the afternoon, when Longstaff decided she wanted to go out for a few hours.

She asked the 14-year-old to look after her two children while she was out.

Ms Harris said: "The girl picked up the rabbit and he bit her, so she threw it against the wall.

"Lorriane Longstaff returned home, saw the rabbit was limping, challenged the girl and then assaulted her."

Ms Harris added: "The girl told police Lorrianne began to punch me on the face. I was sitting on the couch. There must have been about 20 punches.

Other people in the house told her to stop'."

The following morning her face was bruised.

Ms Harris added: "Longstaff said in police interview that she was shown footage on someone's phone and she was enraged, which is why she attacked her."

The rabbit died the next day.

Longstaff, who represented herself, did not make any comment to the court. She challenged the account given by Ms Harris but did not give another version of events.

The court heard she had no previous convictions. She pleaded guilty to the assault, as well as another charge of shoplifting from Asda on April 30.

Magistrates gave her a sixmonth community order, ordered her to pay £50 compensation and £43 costs.