A TERRIFIED Newport mother fought off a woman who allegedly threatened her and her child, saying she was going to take her baby.

Jodie Kenniford was in the Spar store on Cardiff Road, Maesglas, at 1pm yesterday, when the woman approached her daughter Kacie Lee, nine, and baby Harley, who was in his pushchair outside with his sister.

Ms Kenniford, 27, said the woman went inside and told her Harley was “too fat”

before moving to the doorway and trying to undo Harley’s pushchair straps.

Ms Kenniford fronted up to the woman, pushing her away from her children after the woman allegedly told Kacie Lee: “you drink your Coke and I’ll take the baby”.

“She started grabbing the top of the pram and saying she was going to shake the baby and take the baby to tell social services,”

Ms Kenniford said.

“Kacie was really crying and shaken up.”

The woman backed off after Ms Kenniford pushed her away and moved on to Bideford Road briefly, while the shocked mother called her partner’s brother, John Davies, for help, on nearby Maesglas Avenue.

But to Ms Kenniford’s horror, the woman returned and this time she hit her to try to defend her children while an onlooker shouted at her to leave.

Mr Davies then arrived to comfort the distraught mum and went into the Coral betting shop, grabbed the woman and told her to go.

She then made her way to Bideford Road when a police van turned up and the woman was arrested.

A Gwent Police spokeswoman said a woman from Newport was arrested on suspicion of being drunk and disorderly.

She remained in police custody last night.