Leeds woman who attacked sisters in Alwoodley with a hammer and a knife spared jail to look after daughter

Ruby Lee, 20, of Bramley, was sentenced at Leeds Crown Court on Monday after pleading guilty to actual bodily harm and to threatening someone with a knife.

For the prosecution, Austin Eric Newman explained that Lee had been friends with the two sisters but that growing hostility “led to a bitter exchange on social media”.

Lee told one sister she would “start beating all your teeth down your throat.”

On the evening of September 27, 2020, the two sisters were walking on High Ash Drive in Alwoodley when they saw Lee coming in the opposite direction with two men. One of the sisters tried to avoid a confrontation by crossing the road but Lee caught up with her, grabbed her and hit her on the right side of the head with a hammer.

Lee then approached the other sister and held a kitchen knife with a seven-inch blade against her back, saying: “You’re next.”

Lee didn’t attempt to push the blade any further though and left with the two men.

Lee was arrested and “seemed to concede” that the knife found had come from her home.

The court heard that Lee had four previous convictions for possession of a weapon, common assault and battery. Her defence barrister, Benjamin Whittingham, offered no mitigation, instead directing the judge to probation reports.

Sentencing Lee, His Honour Judge Mairs said that he would not send her to jail adding: “I will tell you why. It’s mainly because you have a 16 month old daughter.

"What I fear is if I lock you up now history will repeat itself. You don’t need me to tell you what happened in your childhood. The care and attention you should have had you didn’t get and I have no doubt the offending stems from that.

"Your daughter has a chance of a different life and you have a chance of being a different mother to her and giving her the care and attention you didn’t receive.”

He issued Lee with a 20 month sentence suspended for two years and a restraining order against the two sisters.