AN attacker punched and kicked another woman in Newport city centre after they argued over whether a £20 note was genuine or not.

Stacey Samuels assaulted Lauren Lovering on Lower Dock Street in the daytime incident.

Prosecutor Bethan Evans told Newport Crown Court how the violence flared at an area known locally as “Tent Village” where homeless people live.

CCTV images were shown to Judge Tracey Lloyd-Clarke of Samuels kicking her victim on the floor after knocking her to the ground.

The incident ended when police community support officers came to the complainant’s aid.

The 39-year-old defendant, of Chaffinch Way, Duffryn, Newport, pleaded guilty to common assault.

The offence happened at around 5pm on May 9.

Miss Evans said Samuels had 16 previous convictions for 22 offences, including assault occasioning actual bodily harm and battery.

The judge was told that the defendant was jailed for six weeks last year after she failed to comply with a community order in place for a dishonesty conviction.

Nigel Fryer, mitigating, said the defendant had been working with the Gwent Drug and Alcohol Service for the past 18 months.

Probation Service officer Joanne Brown told the court that Samuels had struggled with heroin and amphetamine problems.

She said that Samuels was “engaging well” as part of her post-sentence supervision.

The court also heard the defendant has had “mental health issues”.

Judge Lloyd-Clarke told Samuels: “You lost your temper and punched your victim in the face and kicked her twice on the floor before police community support officers intervened.”

She sentenced the defendant to a community order for eight months and to observe an electronically tagged curfew at her home address for two months between 8pm and 6am.

Samuels will also have to pay a victim surcharge.

The defendant thanked the judge as she left the dock.