Woman, 42, who beat up 13-year-old boy when he 'pointed air rifle at boyfriend' avoids jail

A marketing worker who beat up a 13-year-old boy after accusing him of pointing an air rifle at her boyfriend has been spared jail.

Lavinia Pinner, 42, punched, kicked, scratched and bit the teenager while banging his head against a wall when she thought he was threatening her partner outside the boy's home in Cheshire.

The teenager, who is known to Pinner but cannot be named, sustained multiple bruising to his arms and back plus cuts and scratches to his face, as well as bite marks to his elbow.

The incident occurred on 20 July last year after Pinner and her unnamed boyfriend got into a row with the boy, after they went to his home following a night out ten-pin bowling.

A court heard the boy's firearm had been bought for him by his father and fires metal pellets which Pinner claimed could ''kill someone.''

She also smashed the teen's iPhone during the incident at his home.

At Warrington magistrates court, Pinner of Macclesfield, faced 18 months jail under sentencing guidelines after she pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm, criminal damage and unrelated offences of possessing the drug ketamine.

But Pinner, a mother-of-two, wept as she was spared a jail term, instead being sentenced to 12 months in custody, suspended for 18 months.

She was also ordered to undertake 35 days of rehabilitative activity with the probation service.

Miss Laura Simpson, prosecuting, said: “Following the argument the defendant has attacked the victim. The victim has gone into his bedroom and the defendant has gone in and continued to assault him.

“She was throwing items around, causing damage to his bedroom, and broke his iPhone. She had punched and scratched him. She had also bitten him twice and banged his head against a wall.

“The victim saw a doctor following the incident. The injuries were a scratch to the face, cuts behind his ear, on his left hand, his collarbone and on his nose.

“He had bite marks on his elbow and on his back and bruises to his arms and back. Whilst in custody, following the defendant's arrest, a small bag containing ketamine was found on her person."

Pinner had one previous conviction for drink-driving from 2019. She told the hearing: “He had been bought a massive rifle by his dad. They have metal pellets so if you shoot someone in the face you can actually kill somebody with it. He was holding a gun into someone else's face and my head just went in that moment.

"I just want to say that no person is more sorry about what they have done than I am.

“I don't really know what happened to me that evening. I was a victim for over 20 years of mental abuse but I know what I have done is unforgivable. I can only say I am so sorry for what I have done and I was shocked myself for what I did.”

Sentencing Pinner, JP Alf Bean told her the attack was 'quite abhorrent', as 'it was a vulnerable child aged just 13 years old at the time.'

He added: “You may have been alarmed that he pointed the pellet type gun in your partner's face and potentially it may have killed someone but the fact is you can not behave the way you behaved towards any child and expect to get away with it and not face the full punishment of the law.

“We are minded that this has crossed the custody threshold, therefore you will be getting a custodial sentence for this offence.

“However, after much deliberation, we have decided to give you the benefit of a suspended sentence order.

“So, while there is a custodial sentence order you will not be going to prison today but you could go to prison in future depending on whether you adhere to the order.

“You were pushing, punching, biting and scratching him. It was wholly unacceptable. The sword of Damocles is now hanging over your head for the next 18 months."