A mum was dragged to the ground by her ponytail by a rival parent who then booted her in the face in a brutal playground attack. Jessica Kitching, 25, attacked the victim, the parent of her daughter's friend, in September 2023 after their kids fell out in the school holidays, the court heard this week. With Charlene Harkin, 37, begging her to stop because they were outside the school and in front of children, Kitching screamed: "I know where you live. I'll f****** kill you".
Kitching pleaded guilty to ABH at Preston and was given a suspended prison sentence of 30 weeks plus unpaid work at Preston Crown Court. And she's not the only parent to lose the plot in the playground - here are five other heated spats, including a very famous face... Three mums were filming grappling on the floor in a brawl at a primary school in Darlaston, West Mids, in a row allegedly fuelled by nails. CCTV footage in November showed the parents wrestling on the concrete playground as teachers pulled down classroom blinds to stop pupils seeing what had happened.
As one mum bit another mum's finger with her teeth, her victim can be seen grabbing her hair and punching her to try and get her to let go. The fight is thought to have started because the women were rival nail technicians who had criticised each other's designs on social media. Fight victim Sophie Mckay, 32, told the Sun she had suffered nerve damage in two fingers and had to have a tetanus shot and receive antibiotics. "She punched my sister straight in her mouth then grappled us both to the ground and started biting my finger," she claimed. "I was genuinely convinced that my finger was going to come off in her mouth.
"It all started because another nail technician was worried about me moving into the trade in the same area. She called me a, “fat, scabby, cocky b****’ online. I weren't having that - but I didn't expect her to try and bite my finger off." No arrests were made. Multiple parents ended up in a brawl at a primary school in Blackburn, Lancs, in March 2016, with one woman leaping through the air to reach a rival. Labourer Gary Rogers, 21, was watching from a nearby building site and said: "It was pandemonium. There was a lot of screeching and shouting, running about and people throwing punches.
"There must have been between 20 and 30 watching. I'm pretty sure some people were getting punched for no reason. It was incredible and probably went on for about 10 minutes. By the end there were three police cars, two police vans, an ambulance and five women were taken away in handcuffs.". Mums with prams were forced to dodge the melee at the school, with five women aged between 18 and 46 arrested on suspicion of affray before being released on bail. It's not known why the brawl began.
Former glamour model Katie, 46, was banned from a school playground in Shipley, West Sussex, after threatening her ex-husband Kieran Hayler's new partner Michelle Penticost. Shocked teachers and pupils looked on as she repeated called Michelle a "f****** c***". Price was fined £415 after admitting shouting a "tirade of abuse" at Michelle and banned from contacting her, saying afterwards when asked if she was sorry: "No I'm not, because I didn't do anything that bad." In a statement, her victim said: "I'm anxious I may still see her and I just want to get outside the school as soon as possible.".
Two mums dropped off their children at school before embarking on a pre-arranged Facebook fight close to a primary school in Dunblane, Scotland. According to MailOnline, Lorraine Couper, 30, reportedly warned Joanna McVey, 25, that she should bring an AK47 assault rifle with her for the fight. Back in March 2012, the mums fell out over who should have been invited to a party hosted by McVey, with both women injured after the scrap. McVey claimed she had been left with a "sore face" after she was hit by a dog chain.
One message sent by Couper read: "You better bring your tomahawk, AK47 and a knife with you" but she wasn't convicted of any offence, with her rival fined £190 at Sterling Sheriff Court. Screaming schoolchildren surrounded two parents in a field close to a secondary school in Rawdon, Leeds in a fight over their sons. Leeds Live told how pupils were seen egging on the dads in May 2023, as a staff member attempted to break up the fracas.
