ELY woman Sarah Leggo has admitted slapping a four-year-old boy on the face during an exchange of blows at a Christmas Day party. But magistrates have decided that Leggo – who wants to join the MAGPAS First Responder scheme — does not pose any future thr

ELY woman Sarah Leggo has admitted slapping a four-year-old boy on the face during an exchange of blows at a Christmas Day party.

But magistrates have decided that Leggo - who wants to join the MAGPAS First Responder scheme - does not pose any future threat to children.

She was given a one-year conditional discharge by Ely magistrates on Thursday, and told to pay £160 costs.

Prosecuting, Matthew Bradbury said Leggo had been "larking around" with the child before the incident, but became irritated by his behaviour.

The child slapped Leggo in the face, and she responded by slapping him back.

"She is not the parent of the child, she was in drink and lost her temper with the child," said Mr Bradbury. "This went entirely beyond reasonable chastisement and was quite inappropriate."

Mitigating, Michael Judkins denied that Leggo had been drinking before the offence. The child had been very boisterous, he said, and had hit Leggo when she bent down to tell him off.

"My client immediately reacted, she slapped the child," he said. "Clearly it was a misjudgement and the wrong reaction, she is sorry.

"It was an instinctive reaction, and would have caused only transient discomfort and perhaps no more than surprise."

Presiding magistrate Lt Col Johnny Kaye told Leggo: "You are clearly of good character.