Elizabeth McGuckin, 41, of Laidler Close, Ashington, attacked her mother with a wooden cat ornament during an argument about noise. The incident took place on January 9 this year, after McGuckin asked her parents if she could stay with them for a few days. They agreed, knowing she had been struggling with her mental health.
Attack during phone call
After being picked up from a train station, McGuckin became "increasingly excitable" after drinking vodka. During a phone call, she was loud and her mother asked her to be quieter. Ian Cook, prosecuting, said: "This caused an argument."
McGuckin picked up a wooden cat ornament from a coffee table and struck her mother once to the head, causing a wound above her left eye. Her father intervened and restrained her until police arrived.
Court hearing and sentence
When questioned by police, McGuckin said she had drunk a bottle of vodka and claimed there had been an argument over who owned the cat ornament, saying it was passed between them and there was a struggle. She pleaded guilty to unlawful wounding and was sentenced to six months suspended for 12 months at Newcastle Crown Court. She has no previous convictions.
The court heard the victim told police she did not want her daughter to receive a prison sentence. Nigel Hedley, defending, said: "Her parents are extremely supportive of her. She has turned quite a corner. She is finding her feet with her mental stability."
Background and rehabilitation
McGuckin had a successful career as an accountant but lost it after ending up in a controlling and abusive relationship. She has an emotionally unstable personality disorder and is "disgusted and deeply ashamed" of what she did, having previously had a good relationship with her parents. She has been receiving help with her mental health, drugs, and alcohol issues and has been doing well.
