A YOUNG mother who attacked women who tried to help her was so drunk that she forgot she had left her toddler home alone, a court heard.

The woman from north Plymouth cannot be named because of a court order banning identification of her child.

Andrew Maitland, prosecuting, told Plymouth Crown Court that on Sunday, March 2, around 5pm, the woman visited a local pub accompanied by two men from Liverpool and her child.

Although she appeared to be under the influence of drink or drugs, staff sold her 10 double vodkas and two other drinks, at least five of which were drunk by her.

Meanwhile, the child was running around the pub, knocked over a drink and had to be retrieved from behind the bar.

Eventually the group, at a corner table, was asked to leave when one of the men was seen rolling a cannabis joint.

On the way out, however, the woman fell over in the foyer, knocked her pushchair over and the child fell out.

Two women went to help, but there was a scuffle, a punch or two was thrown and hair was pulled, said Mr Maitland.

The woman then returned to her home nearby.

Two other women were smoking outside when they saw a stray dog they thought belonged to the woman.

Using a belt as a makeshift collar and lead they took it to her house, but when she eventually opened the door, she yelled: "That's my dog!", screamed abuse and whirled the belt round her head, injuring both women.

The women retreated to the pub, where the accused followed them and the licensee called the police.

They arrived and found her appearing to be drunk, demanding: "Where's my baby?"

She told officers her child was in the pub and they supported her as she staggered inside.

When a search revealed no toddler, she told them: "[The child] must be at home."

The police couldn't get in via the front door but found a key in the back door.

Inside, they found the toddler on the sofa watching TV, with no-one else in the house. The child was screaming and very upset, the court was told.

The woman was arrested at 8pm and the child temporarily taken into the care of Social Services.

The mother woke up in a cell at 3.30am and was later interviewed by police.

She told them she would not have gone out on Mothering Sunday to get drunk deliberately, but if she had it would have taken 10 doubles.

She claimed to remember nothing after the third glass, and said that her drink must have been spiked.

Mr Maitland said: "There is no evidence of that, but there is evidence of the number of drinks she bought."

He said she had been convicted of assault as a juvenile and cautioned for battery in 2008, but had never been before in court for ill-treatment of a child.

Mr Maitland said that as a result of a query by Judge Francis Gilbert QC, the police licensing section was reviewing the pub's licence and a hearing was awaited.

Kelly Scrivener, for the woman, said her client was shocked by her actions and was now drinking less.

She pleaded guilty to two counts of common assault and one of child cruelty.

Judge Gilbert told the woman: "You went to the pub, taking your young [child] with you, and drank up to 10 drinks, some of them doubles.

"You allowed your [child] to wander all over the premises and when you fell over, knocking the pushchair over, you could have injured [the child].

"When people tried to help, you attacked them," he said.

"I warn you that any more convictions for violence would see you run a real risk of going to prison and losing your child."

He sentenced her to a 12-month community order and ordered her to attend 20 hours of an alcohol-specified requirement and to live where she was directed by the Probation Service.

He also advised the defendant: "Put your child first and don't waste money on drinking too much."