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26
Sept 2024
Knaresborough woman pleads guilty to assault after argument about a cat
A Knaresborough woman has pleaded guilty to assault after an argument over feeding a cat.
Melissa Mitchell, 24, of Stockwell Avenue, was charged with assault on September 6 this year.
Mitchell, who spoke only to confirm her name and address, pleaded guilty to the offence at a hearing at Harrogate Magistrates Court this morning.
Mel Ibbertson, prosecuting, told the court that the incident appeared to have started over an argument about a cat.
She said:
On the date in question, there appears to have been some disagreement that escalated into an argument about a cat.
The prosecution said the named victim had told Mitchell not to feed the cat tuna and an argument started.
Ms Ibbertson told the court the defendant approached the victim and “hit her and pushed her over”. The pair then began to hit each other before Mitchell proceeded to bang the victim’s head against the grass.
The victim then began to bite the defendant before they had an asthma attack and the police arrived, the court heard.
The prosecution described the incident as a “persistent assault”.
Mitchell’s defence told the court that the complainant in the case was “quite aggressive towards her”.
However, they added that the defendant acted in self-defence and admitted they “went too far”.
They said:
She accepts that she could have acted differently.
The defence added that the incident was “over within a matter of seconds”.
Magistrates adjourned the case until October 24 for probation to carry out a pre-sentence report.
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