A GWENT mum who left her child home alone while she went out drinking was the victim of 'mob justice' at the hands of local people, a court was told.

The 41-year-old woman from the Cwmbran area went clubbing leaving a child under ten at home.

Her solicitor Stephen Ritter told Newport magistrates' court: "I appreciate neglecting a child in this way is an odious thing to do and the matter has attracted a great deal of attention.

"(The woman) has already suffered abuse - physical, as well as criminal damage - from persons in and around the area who have deployed mob law and mob justice."

The woman was told to seek treatment for her alcohol addiction as part of an 18-month community rehabilitation order. The court heard she began drinking heavily following a family tragedy.

Newport magistrates also ordered her to undergo bereavement counselling.

The woman had previously pleaded guilty to wilfully abandoning her child earlier this year.

Wendy Brady, prosecuting, told the court police received a call just before midnight to say a child had been left home alone.

Officers attended the address and forced entry into the house after failing to get an answer.

They found a child asleep in an upstairs bedroom, but nobody else was home.

Miss Brady said officers discovered that the woman had taken a taxi to the Chicago Rock Caf, in Newport. At 3.10am she walked into Cwmbran police station and was drunk and abusive. She was arrested for being drunk and disorderly and later cautioned.

Miss Brady said the woman was then driven to Newport police station and told officers on the way 'I've only done it once before and nothing happened. I need a break; you don't understand'.

The child, Miss Brady said, was now being cared for by the paternal grandparents.

Mr Ritter said she had suffered post-traumatic stress following a family tragedy and had reacted by drinking to excess.

She had now, he said, admitted that she was an alcoholic.

He said that sending the woman to prison would further traumatise the child, to whom she currently has supervised access.

The woman was sentenced to an 18-month community rehabilitation order with the conditions that she undergoes bereavement counselling and offence-focused counselling, seeks help for her alcohol addiction, and liaises closely with social services.