A mother who hit her teenage daughter in the face during an argument about the teen coming home late has been sentenced for assault.
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The woman from Orange has not been named to protect the identify of the teenager.
According to court documents, the mother and daughter got into an argument on February 21 this year after the victim came home from school four hours late.
During the argument the woman hit the victim in the face.
The victim was then sent to her room.
The victim, sustained a black eye and swelling to the left side of her face as a result of the assault and attended school the next morning and spoke to a staff member about what happened.
The school staff member contacted the police to report the matter and the victim was taken by ambulance to Orange Hospital.
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Police attended the school a short time later and were informed an ambulance had taken the victim to Orange Hospital.
Police spoke with the teenager at the hospital and noticed she had a large bruise and swelling to her left cheek.
The police learnt the assault had been witnessed by other children who were also in the house at the time so they visited their schools and confirmed the teenager's account.
The other children said the woman hit the victim multiple times in the head.
Police arrested the woman at 2.05pm that afternoon. Another adult woman also told police she had been on the phone with the mother at the time of the argument and heard the altercation.
The adult witness said the woman told her she had slapped the victim in the mouth.
The offending is serious because it happens in the home of the victim and in the presence of at least one of the other children.
- Magistrate David Day
The mother told police she only slapped her daughter once.
Police charged her due to the belief a strike to the head of a child was not lawful chastisement but, instead, assault.
The woman pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm and was unrepresented when she appeared in court for sentencing.
Magistrate David Day said he didn't think the assault crossed the custody threshold but he would convict her and put her on a bond.
He also warned her about not lashing out at the girl or her younger siblings again and noted the difficulty some teenagers can be while others can be significantly less difficult.
"You are going to have other teenagers," Mr Day said.
"The offending is serious because it happens in the home of the victim and in the presence of at least one of the other children.
"You surprised yourself that you lost control, there may have been provocation but you ought to see it coming."
Mr Day convicted the woman and placed her on a 12-month supervised community correction order.
An apprehended violence order requiring she not assault or intimidate the victim was also imposed.
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