Grafton mother pleads guilty to punching 13yo daughter in face, AVO put in place to protect her children

A Grafton mother caught up in the housing crisis has had an AVO put on her to protect her children after she punched her daughter, a court heard.

The Grafton mother assaulted her 13-year-old child during an argument.

A Grafton mother caught up in the northern NSW housing crisis has had an AVO put on her to protect her children after she punched her daughter, a court heard.

The mother in her 30s with an alcohol problem faced Grafton Local Court on Monday, pleading guilty to common assault.

She cannot legally be named to protect the identity of the victim – her 13-year-old daughter.

The mum punched the child in the eye during an argument after she had been drinking, the court heard.

The prosecution and defence argued about the practicality of the AVO considering all of the offender’s children live with her.

Defence lawyer Brett Marshall told the court: “Your Honour, my client and her children are homeless.”

He said the woman and her family were kicked out of a house. New owners leased the home to new tenants and left the woman’s family in the lurch amid the housing crunch.

Mr Marshall said the woman and her children had found a temporary home with another family, but having them all packed in was proving tense.

The lawyer highlighted alcohol abuse as the major contributing factor of the offending, emphasising the need for treatment.

Magistrate Annette Sinclair said the offending was “too serious to not warrant a conviction” regardless of the woman having “no priors”.

The mother was sentenced to a nine-month community corrections order and a year-long AVO was put in place to protect her children.

The conditions include not assaulting her children, damaging their property and not approaching them within 12 hours of consuming alcohol or illicit drugs.