A MUM-OF-TWO assaulted two teenage girls in the café of Chester’s Storyhouse theatre because they were making “inappropriate noises” as she ate her dinner.

Carly Louise Parkinson, 31, of Hillside Road in Blacon, grabbed one of the girls by the hair and then had a “scuffle” with the second when she tried to help her friend.

Both victims, who cannot be named for legal reasons, were said to have been affected by the “unpleasant and distressing” incident.

Chester Magistrates Court heard on Thursday (May 9) that Parkinson was a “very troubled person” who had anger management and anxiety issues.

She pleaded guilty and was sentenced to a 12-month community order to include 35 days of rehabilitation activity and a 12-week curfew between 7pm and 7am.

She was also ordered to pay each victim £150 in compensation as well as £300 court costs and an £85 victim surcharge, which will be taken from her Employment Support Allowance.

Prosecuting, Rob Youds told the court the two girls had been sitting in Storyhouse on Northgate Street on the evening of November 13 last year when an unknown woman sat next to them.

One admitted “making noises that weren’t appropriate to the setting” at which point Parkinson said she was going to fetch a member of staff to throw them out.

She walked off, but soon returned and grabbed the hair of the first victim. The second girl then intervened and was left with red marks on her arms in the ensuing “scuffle”, Mr Youds said.

In a victim impact statement, one of the teenagers said she no longer felt safe when outside her home and “doesn’t like anyone coming too close” to her.

It emerged that Parkinson has seven previous convictions for eight offences, including four for battery and one for being drunk and disorderly.

Andrew Mawson, defending, stressed his client had pleaded guilty to the assault charges – albeit slightly late with one of them – and had expressed remorse.

“It was something that sprung about on the spur of the moment,” he said. “It was not something that was planned in any way by the defendant.

“I am not making light of this incident. It was clearly unpleasant and distressing for the victims concerned and for those who witnessed what was going on. But it was a short incident and thankfully there were no injuries involved.”

Parkinson has experienced issues with mental health issues in the past and “overreacted to the situation” in the café.

“She is a very troubled person,” Mr Mawson added. “She suffers from anxiety, depression and PTSD and she’s harmed herself in the past.

“Really she needs help and she is willing to work with the Probation Service to address these problems.”

A stern Alan Davies, chair of the magistrates bench, told Parkinson: “Let me make this very clear to you. You will not assault any more people. If you do you are at great risk of losing your liberty.”