Woman lunged at her grandmother after violence erupted outside Sunderland house party at 7.15am

Sophie Ross, 23, of King James Court, Downhill, Sunderland, told her relative “I need help, I need help” when trouble spilled into the street at 7.15am on Saturday, December 14.

But when her grandmother apparently failed to act and decided to continue getting ready for work, Ross made a grab for her.

Prosecutor Alan Davison told South Tyneside Magistrates’ Court: “Their houses are effectively back-to-back.

“The grandmother saw a number of people coming out of the defendant’s house, there was fighting in the street which died away.

“Ms Ross went out of her house and approached her grandmother. She said ‘you never help me’.

“The grandmother thought that she was going to be hurt. Ms Ross admitted that she was drunk.

“She didn’t hurt her grandmother but admitted that she did lunge at her.”

The court heard Ross was working well with Probation Service on a community order, imposed in December for causing criminal damage, and was addressing her substance misuse.

Gerry Armstrong, defending, said: “The problems that she had then were all as a result of drink and a lack of stable accommodation.

“This offence came when she ran to her grandmother’s for help because there had been trouble at her house.

“Her grandmother has since made it clear that Sophie was as frightened of what was happening as she was.

“There was something of a shouting match between them, there was no physical attack at all.

“Since December, when she was put on the community order, she has complied with it and is working her way through the programme.

“I ask you to do nothing that will affect this order, which is doing the work the court wants.

“Sophie and her grandmother have reconciled in the past seven months.”

Ross, who pleaded guilty to common assault, was given a six-month conditional discharge and must pay £85 court costs and a £22 victim surcharge.

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