Jessica Stevens: Pregnant mom-of-three KNEED in stomach and struck on her head in altercation over parking spot
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND: A pregnant mother was reportedly kneed in the stomach during an altercation over a parking space. The Sefton Magistrates Court heard how her children watched in horror as the 49-year-old Cheryl Hayes shouted "I am going to t*** you in a minute" and called the alleged victim a "c**t," before striking Stevens in the head and face before grabbing her by the hair and pulling her to her knees. Hayes then kneed the victim in the stomach before being pulled away by her own 21-year-old son.
Jessica Stevens, who was in the 18th week of her pregnancy, suffered bruising to her arms and legs and anxiously waited for two weeks before she was assured her baby was in fact unharmed following the horrific attack in Liverpool. Hayes was ordered to complete a 12-month community order plus 150 hours of unpaid work and 15 days of rehabilitation activity. She had to pay £500 ($600) compensation after she admitted assault and will be charged an additional £215 ($260) in costs and victim surcharge. Hayes told the court that she had felt "threatened" by Stevens tapping on her window and that her "human nature had regrettably kicked in."
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According to Metro, the incident took place on February 19 when Stevens took her three children for a day out at the World Museum. Upon arrival, they found that parking spaces on William Brown Street were full and so she parked her Range Rover in the coach spaces opposite the museum entrance to wait for a space to become available. However, things turned awry when Hayes pulled up behind in a blue Skoda around midday.
"The complainant got out of her car to purchase a parking ticket but as she walked back to her car, another vehicle left making a parking space available," prosecutor Andrew Page told the court. "The defendant was in her car and she drove in an attempt to put her car in the parking space. The complainant believed the defendant’s driving to be aggressive, so she knocked on the bonnet and the windscreen. But there was a verbal argument between Miss Stevens and the defendant. Miss Stevens then went to put the ticket in her car after which, Hayes then got out of her car and approached her. She banged on her vehicle aggressively, asking 'How do you like it?'" Page continued, "The complainant asked the defendant to 'Stop it' as there were children in her car and she tried to push her away. But the defendant struck her in the head and face and then grabbed her hair and pulled her to her knees. She then kneed her in the stomach." Hayes' son then intervened and also handed the victim her purse which had fallen to the ground in the tussle. Hayes then sped off in her car while two other bystanders rushed to assist Ms Stevens. Hayes was detained later by police.
The victim was later admitted to the Countess of Chester Hospital. She told the court that she was too scared to go out in public and had trouble sleeping in the aftermath of the incident. "What happened really shook me up. I was physically sore and aching afterwards. Her behavior was disgusting and completely uncalled for," Stevens said. "At the time it made me feel sick to the stomach. I had to wait two weeks for the result of a scan to see if my baby was OK. It felt like a lifetime. I had sleepless nights. It upsets me deeply that I may not have had my baby due to this behavior and it deeply upsets me that my children had to witness me being attacked in what should be a family-friendly place. It is just beyond words." The embattled mother bemoaned that her children were "upset and hysterical" during the altercation and that she "hopes this woman is appalled and ashamed of her behavior."
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Hayes had her own version of events she told police. She said she had been waiting for a parking space and had gone into the first available one, but "felt threatened" by Stevens. Defense attorney Keith Webster said his client did not know the victim was pregnant and alleged that it was Stevens who had tried to strike Hayes before the latter grabbed her hair. In mitigation, he said that "there were not several kneeing motions as originally claimed" and also denied claims that his client called the victim a "c***" or said, "I am going to t*** you in a minute." Webster told the court, "The complainant started it by banging on the defendant’s windscreen. She got out of her vehicle and came over to the defendant’s vehicle and was banging on the windscreen. Regrettably, the defendant’s human nature kicked in." He added, "My client is not just a lady of good character, she is of positive character, in terms of the care and support she provides to her family. The complainant began the action and continued with the actions but it ended with the defendant’s actions. If the defendant had stayed in her car, this would not have happened."