'My f***ing child is in the back of my car': Driver, 22, dragged another mother from her BMW and beat her up while her baby sat in the back seat after the victim 'cut her up' at a junction.

A driver beat up another young mother in a road rage attack as their babies looked on from the rear seats of their cars.

Fatima Festus, 22, of Burnage, Manchester, attacked Amilia Luby despite her 'cutting up' the victim at a junction - and then blaming her for nearly causing an accident.

As their young children aged six months and a year watched, foul mouthed Festus jumped out of her vehicle shouting: 'My f****** child is in the back of my car.'

She then stormed up to Miss Luby's blue BMW, dragged her out of the driver's seat then repeatedly punched her in the head. A friend of Miss Luby's who was in the passenger seat tried to intervene but was punched in the stomach. Miss Luby suffered a black eye, cuts to her lip and bruises to her elbow as well as swelling to the right temple of her head. She now says she is too scared to leave the house.

Festus later claimed the incident was a 'bit of a blur' and said at the time she was 'scared something might have happened to her young baby.' She has since become pregnant with her second child.

At Manchester Magistrates' Court Festus admitted common assault but escaped jail after JPs said it was a 'spontaneous attack.' The incident occurred at 2.50pm on June 16 last year when Miss Luby was driving through Didsbury. Prosecutor Miss Marion Nolan said: 'She was travelling with her friend Laurelle Dale in the passenger seat and her 12 month old son in the backseat.

'As Amilia pulled out to turn left the defendant overtook her and cut in front of her. 

'Amilia had to slam on the brakes as not to go into her and as both cars stopped the defendant got out of her car. 'As she approached Amilia she shouted: 'My f****** child is in the back of my car!' She then opened Amilia's car door and grabbed the top of her head and dragged her out of the car.

'She then punched Amilia to the head and face. She says it happened so quickly that the complainant can't remember if she retaliated. 'Amilia sustained swelling to her right temple, swelling and bruising to her right eye, a lump on her head, a small cut to the lip, a bruise on her elbow and a cut to her other elbow.'She has been suffering since the attack and says she is too scared to leave the house.

'During the attack, her friend Laurelle who was in the passenger seat had to step out of the car and try to help her friend and in doing so received a blow to the stomach.'

But in mitigation defence lawyer Robert Moussalli said: 'This is extremely out of character for this defendant. Clearly none of what I say excuses this and Fatima knows that and deeply regrets everything that happened that day.

'She says she was driving along with her six month-old child in the back when Miss Luby pulled out in front of her. It was her first born and she felt very protective over the safety of her young child.

'She says she didn't really think about what she was going to do and had no idea what she was thinking of. She remembers opening the car door and shouting and after that it became a bit of a blur.

'She can't explain why she did it just that she was scared something might have happened to her young baby. She has been very upset about the whole thing and is currently four months pregnant.

'She understands that this shouldn't have happened and she wishes she had acted in a different way.'

Festus was sentenced to a 12-month community order and was ordered to complete 180 hours of unpaid work. She was also ordered to pay Miss Luby £200 and pay £235 in costs and surcharges.

Chairman of the bench Simon Morrell told her: 'This was a road rage incident, plain and simple and it was super dangerous. Not only was there a child in the other car but there was also a young child in your car. 'You subjected this woman to a sustained attack and the ordeal must have been scary for her. The only mitigating factor is your remorse and the fact that this was a spontaneous attack. '