A WOMAN viciously punched a man while he was on the ground during a "nasty" vigilante beating that left the innocent victim unconscious, a court heard.
Carla Aldred, 33, of Winthorpe Road, Grimsby, admitted assaulting Lookman Miah, causing actual bodily harm, on July 29.
David Gordon, prosecuting, told Grimsby Crown Court that Mr Miah was at his home in Hainton Avenue at about midnight when he heard someone kicking the door of a pizza shop opposite.
He heard the word "paedophile" being shouted and went across to say the flat was unoccupied.
Aldred claimed her 12-year-old daughter had received telephone calls from a number supposedly traced to those premises. She had gone there with a man to confront the occupant but there was no reply.
The man punched Mr Miah and Aldred thumped him about three times while he was on the ground. Mr Miah was left unconscious.
Aldred was "horribly mistaken" in thinking Mr Miah "might be some kind of sex offender", said Mr Gordon.
Simon Hirst, mitigating, said mother-of-three Aldred was trying "in a misguided way" to protect her daughter after text messages were sent to her and telephone calls were made to her.
Aldred reported the matter to the police but claimed that the matter was not taken as seriously as she would have liked.
There was "no excuse" for her drink-fuelled behaviour, which was "wholly wrong", said Mr Hirst.
Recorder Jonathan Bennett told Aldred: "This was a very nasty assault. This man was a completely innocent member of the public. He was beaten and knocked unconscious."
Aldred, who recently finished a job cleaning caravans, was given a 26-week suspended prison sentence, 100 hours' unpaid work, a 16-week 8pm to 6am curfew and was ordered to pay £350 compensation.