A brazen thug who battered a mum in front of the victim's terrified six-year-old daughter was spared jail after persuading a judge her own children needed her at home.
Paige Hoyle, 25, grabbed Victoria Wynn by the hair and punched in the face up to five times in a street brawl, started after Hoyle hurled a bottle at the victim.
The victim needed treatment for nerve damage and swelling to her face.
A court heard Miss Wynn, who is in her 30s, huddled her sobbing child and begged for mercy - but Hoyle, herself a mother-of-three, retorted: "Who the f*** are you?" and promptly subjected her to the vicious beating.
But judge Recorder Matthew Corbett-Jones stressed violent Hoyle has "responsibility of three young children" and spared her jail.
Sentencing the lout to a 12-month community order at Minshull Street Crown Court in Manchester, the judge said: "This was a sustained and repeated assault.
"You had consumed alcohol and there is an ongoing impact. This took place in the presence of a child. You started this incident and had it not been for your actions, this simply would not have happened. She would not have sustained her injuries.
"It is apparent you were in a state of turmoil because of events in the past, which led to a falling out with your father. You have had subsequent traumatic incidents in your life and you do have responsibility of three young children."
The judge made his decision after Hoyle's lawyer argued the defendant's kids; aged six, four and nine months "depended on her" and claimed it was "not in the public interest" to send her to prison.
Harriet Johnson, defending, said: "She does show unusual insight into the impact this will have on the woman and child. She has three children aged six, four and nine months of her own who depend on her.
"However, they will not in anyway get her out of jail. She has made arrangements in respect of them and she knows custody is inevitable. She doesn't seem to rely on the children to keep her out of prison.
"She knows she must be punished for what she has done and she reacted wrongly. But there is a keenness to engage with probation and I would submit it is not the best thing to send her to custody, as it is not in the public interest.
"She is in receipt of benefits. She has suffered financially also."
But Hoyle, from Rochdale, Greater Manchester, faced up to five years jail after she admitted assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
The fracas happened after the pair left a New Year's party in Rochdale.
The defendant had become involved in an altercation with her partner and partner's dad moments before the rage.
Justin Hayhoe, prosecuting, said "Miss Wynn had been out with her family celebrating the New Year with her young child, boyfriend and boyfriends family when they came across an incident involving this defendant, the defendant's boyfriend and her father.
"It seemed to be an argument between Paige Hoyle and her boyfriend when a bottle was thrown by Miss Hoyle towards her boyfriend. It didn't hit anything and it caused distress to the young child of Miss Wynn.
"There was then an altercation between Miss Hoyle's boyfriend and Miss Wynn's boyfriend. As Miss Wynn was trying to get past to get her child home, Miss Hoyle grabbed her by the hair and the women fell to the floor.
"She said Miss Hoyle had her hair and punched her about three times, but it could have been up to four or five punches before Miss Wynn managed to get her child away. She said she punched Miss Hoyle once in self defence but it was Miss Hoyle's actions which started matters."
