A BETRAYED girlfriend attacked her love rival in front of her four-year-old daughter in an “uncharacteristic”

fit of rage, a court was told.

Terri Edlin assaulted Carly Day and smashed her car windows after a heated argument over their relationships with Matthew Arnold.

Liam Finch, prosecuting, told Worcester Magistrates Court Edlin pursued Ms Day in her car after discovering she and Mr Arnold had rekindled their relationship.

The women both came to a stop at Ms Day’s mother’s home in Bransford and Edlin confronted her about the affair.

The defendant then went to her car and returned with a torch, which she used to smash the windows on Ms Day’s Ford KA.

Mr Finch said Ms Day grabbed her daughter and ran to the top of the road, filming the incident on her mobile phone.

Edlin told Ms Day she was “going to have it” and then grabbed her by the hair, kicking and kneeing her.

In a statement to police, Ms Day said she could hear her daughter screaming as a struggle ensued before Edlin then punched her victim in the mouth and left the scene.

Edlin, who had been of previous good character, pleaded guilty to one charge of criminal damage and one charge of assault.

Duty solicitor Matthew Ansell, defending the 21-year-old, said there was a history between the defendant and her victim, as Arnold was the father of Ms Day’s child.

He said Arnold and Edlin were a couple, but chose to keep this quiet as Ms Day would prevent Arnold from seeing his daughter if she knew they were together.

Mr Ansell said his client had not planned to get into a fight with Ms Day and the pair had talked earlier in the day without incident.

He said the attack had affected the whole family and Edlin, of Upper Howsell Road, Malvern, had been kicked out of her home as a result.

She also lost her job when she was arrested at work.

Mr Ansell said Edlin’s actions had been “completely out of character”

and had his client wanted to cause trouble, it would have happened long before the offences committed on Tuesday, December 27.

Sentencing, magistrates ordered Edlin to pay £250 compensation to Ms Day for the criminal damage and gave her a 12-month conditional discharge for the assault.

She must also pay a further £50 compensation to her victim and £85 costs. Magistrates declined the prosecution’s request for a restraining order.