A mum who drove dangerously while threatening to stab her former partner before punching him in the back of the head has been jailed.
Grimsby Crown Court heard how Danielle Burns-Salmond had gone to pick up her ex on November 29 2022 after he'd asked for a lift. The man, who had been in an on-off relationship with Burns-Salmond for seven years, was travelling from his home in Humberston to Market Rasen.
Burns-Salmond had been unable to make contact with him and he had kept her waiting when she arrived at his house. When the man got into the car, Burns-Salmond asked him why he hadn't answered her calls. The pair had travelled as far as Station Road, Waltham, when she threatened to stab him in the neck and took her hand off the steering wheel, reports GrismbyLive.
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The victim grabbed the wheel himself, turning the car onto a nearby kerb, before jumping out. Prosecuting, Holly Thompson added: "She chased him and punched him in the back of the head."
He then sprayed water at her and an off duty police officer tried to intervene. He got in between them, but Burns-Salmond then hit the ex partner again over the officer's head before driving away. The court was told she then returned a short time afterwards and made further threats to burn down the man's house and smash his head in before driving away. She then turned back again, accelerating along the path towards the pair, who were forced to jump out of the way.
More police were requested and Burns-Salmond was subsequently arrested. Although she admitted she had assaulted the ex partner, she claimed he spat water at her, with her reaction being in self defence. She also claimed that she wasn't driving directly at the two men, she just wanted him to be scared.
Burns-Salmond, 36, admitted common assault, assault by beating and assaulting an emergency worker, as well as dangerous driving following an incident during an argument with her ex partner who she'd been in an on-off relationship with for the past seven years.
The court heard that Burns-Salmond had previously been before the courts on a charge of Actual Bodily Harm in May 2021 after she smashed a glass bottle over someone's head and pulled their hair twice.
Mitigating, David Watts suggested that her previous convictions proved that she can be reformed, as she had received an unpaid work order and a 20 month suspended sentence for that matter.
He said: "This has been a very stressful experience and she has found it very difficult over the last few months." He argued for a suspended sentence once more, referring to the fact Burns-Salmond was a mother who had two boys at home.
He added: "The incident happened when she went to pick up the man at his request and at a time he wanted. He kept her waiting and that is why she was annoyed. She takes the view that he knows how to press her buttons." He went on to explain how her reaction was an example of how she struggles with her Borderline Personality Disorder.
Mr Watts admitted that the "red mist came down", but that Burns-Salmond recognises she has problems and was taking the necessary steps to improve this. He added: "She apologises for the offences, her mind was not clear at the time of the incident and she entered a guilty plea at the first opportunity."
Recorder Taryn Turner said: "You have led a charmed life in relation to previous history." She added: "You are a parent. You going into custody today will impact on them, but it may well be that this is the best thing for you. It may bring you to your senses, you can't go on the way you have been."
Burns-Salmond was sentenced to five months in prison, disqualified from driving for 18 months and ordered to take an extended driving test to reobtain her licence after that period. However, she was told she can be expected to be released from prison after serving half her sentence.
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