A woman threw a dog bowl at her sister and pulled her wig off during a "cat fight" between feuding siblings.
There had been a background of ill-feeling between Adele Coates and the victim when it descended into violence at their mother's home. A court heard Coates scratched and clawed the victim's face, pressed her fingers into her eye and bit her finger during the assault in South Shields.
Coates, 50, was found guilty of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and has now been given a suspended prison sentence at Newcastle Crown Court. Emma Dowling, prosecuting, said: "It happened against a backdrop of ill-feeling between them which has been going on for some time.
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"The catalyst of the incident was not anything they had done but was messages exchanged between family members which led to an argument breaking out."
The court heard the victim was visiting her mother, who lives near Coates, on January 15 this year. Coates got back from work and went to her mother's home and started shouting at her, including saying "nobody calls my daughter a racist", a reference to text messages.
Miss Dowling said: "She picked up a dog bowl and threw it at her then continued to be aggressive. She ripped the wig from her head and threw it away. She pressed her fingers into her eye and was scratching and clawing at her face, causing injuries and swelling.
"During the incident she bit her finger, causing a puncture mark to her. As a result, she had to attend hospital. She's a type one diabetic and prone to infection and was given anti-biotics and a tetanus."
The victim, who had a pre-existing shunt in her brain, said she was left suffering headaches. In a victim impact statement, she said she was "embarrassed, upset and angry". She added: "This has had a huge effect on my life. I didn't expect it to impact on me this much.
"I'm much more withdrawn than I used to be and my colleagues keep asking if I'm okay at work and I've had to double my dose of anti-depressants. I still don't know why my sister attacked me. If I could at least know why it happened I might be able to move on.
"She's never offered me any explanation for why she attacked me and never shown any remorse. The way she behaved is so childish and unnecessary."
She added that she was left with two scars and was shocked when she saw pictures of the injuries before attending court. She said: "Every time I look in the mirror I'm reminded of what happened. If the court decides on a custodial sentence I will support it."
Coates, 50, of Nevinson Avenue, South Shields, was convicted after a trial in front of magistrates of assault occasioning actual bodily harm. Judge Stephen Earl sentenced her to 12 months suspended for two years with a two-year restraining order.
The judge said it was "an issue between siblings which has gone far too far". He added: "There are ways to solve a problem which don't involve a cat fight."
