Top female lawyer's career in tatters after assault conviction for pulling her 11-year-old daughter's hair during argument about a sleepover

• Child threw ironed washing down the stairs and repeatedly hit mother in face with jacket
• She had earlier called the police because mother would not give her cash for a taxi to a friend's house
• Court heard it was 47-year-old's birthday and she had been drinking at home
  
• She lunged at the girl and grabbed her hair, pulling some out when it caught on ring

By Emma Reynolds

Published: 05:13 EDT, 19 October 2012 | Updated: 09:05 EDT, 19 October 2012

A top barrister's career was under threat today after she was convicted of assault for grabbing her misbehaving daughter's hair.

The woman, 47, snapped after the 11-year-old started hitting her and trashing their home during a row over a sleepover, Burnley Magistrates' Court heard.

The youngster had earlier rung the police because she was furious at not being given money for a taxi to a friend’s house.

Lashing out: The 47-year-old snapped after the schoolgirl threw ironed washing down the stairs, slammed the door and hit her repeatedly with a jacket, Burnley Magistrates Court heard

After officers came to the family home and told the girl off for the call, she began throwing clean and ironed washing down the stairs and repeatedly hitting her mother in the face with a jacket.

The unruly schoolgirl then slammed the lounge door so heavily that a chair smashed into a wall and knocked over a shelf, spilling DVDs and ornaments onto the floor.

The lawyer, who has been both a prosecution and defence barrister for 17 years, eventually lost her temper.

She lunged forward from her own chair and grabbed the child’s shoulder-length hair, accidentally ripping out some strands, which were caught by her costume jewellery ring.

Today the barrister - who cannot be named for legal reasons, to protect the identity of the child - was facing a disciplinary hearing before the Bar Council after she admitted assault at the Lancashire court.

She sobbed as she was given a 12-month conditional discharge and ordered to pay £85 costs.

Her counsel Mr Sephton Lee told the court that it was the barrister's birthday on the night of the assault earlier this month.

Turning to the law: Police had come to the house earlier after the girl called them when her mother would not give her money for a taxi (file picture)

Mr Lee told the court: 'She had no plans to go out and celebrate. She had been drinking and perhaps it is fair to say that during the course of the evening, she drank a bit too much.'

He said the daughter had 'a bit of a tantrum' after returning from a friend's house and was demanding to be given money to go back there by taxi.

When she didn’t get any cash, the girl secretly rang the police. Officers arrived and spoke to the mother and daughter before admonishing the daughter for calling them.

Mr Lee added: 'Police clearly had no concerns about the daughter’s welfare or the mother’s level of intoxication before they left.'

The solicitor said the girl continued to misbehave until the mother got out of her chair to stop her.

Job in jeopardy: The lawyer will now have to account for her actions in front of the Bar Council in London (file picture)

He said: 'It's against all this background, she accepts she lunged forward towards her daughter and she accepts she grabbed her daughter’s shoulder-length hair.

'It would appear she has pulled some hair from her daughter’s scalp. It’s believed a costume jewellery ring which she has on her finger caught on her daughter’s hair, causing hair to get caught up in the ring and that was how the injury has occurred.'

'This was not a deliberate, intentional, malicious assault on her daughter. The mother was arrested, taken to the police station and interviewed and during the course of that interview, she expressed deep remorse and regret and she has asked me to apologise unreservedly to the court today.'She is well respected by her fellow practitioners and the judiciary.

'There is no suggestion whatsoever that she is an unfit mother, quite the reverse. This is a tragedy for everybody, certainly for the girl and her mother.

'This is an isolated incident, when a loving, caring mother pulled her daughter’s hair in circumstances where, we would say, her daughter was behaving badly.'

The court heard that the lawyer had informed the Bar Council about what had happened. Her law chambers continue to support her and she will be travelling to London in the near future to account for her actions before the Bar Council.

Mr Lee said : 'The Bar Council will no doubt take a dim view of this matter and her ability to earn a living as a barrister may well be in jeopardy. This has been a very difficult case for the mother. These proceedings and the conviction today are significant punishment.'

Passing sentence, District Judge Nicholas Sanders told the woman: 'This is a tragic case on many levels.'