A mother who "used her car as a weapon" and drove at a crowd of people in a Gloucester car park was spared jail today so that she can look after her six-year-old daughter.

Hannah Chesney, 25, of Seven Acres, Abbeymead, Gloucester pleaded guilty to dangerous driving in Chase Lane and around the car park of the All Nations Club in the early hours of September 7, last year.

At Gloucester crown court, Judge Ian Lawrie QC imposed a nine-month prison sentence suspended for 18 months, ordered the defendant to do 75 hours of unpaid work and pay £300 compensation to one of the two people hit by her Mercedes and £400 prosecution costs.

Chesney was also banned from driving for two years.

Prosecuting barrister Janine Wood said "CCTV footage shows the defendant driving round and round the car park and deliberately aiming for a group of people who had earlier surrounded her car.

"One man was knocked over but he was not injured and a Miss Cameron was also struck and she later went to Gloucestershire Royal Hospital with bruising and soft tissue injuries to her back and right hip."

The court heard that there were issues between the defendant and Miss Cameron.

Chessney, who was confronted and assaulted by Miss Cameron earlier, had driven away from the car park but returned later, in her pyjamas, to retrieve some of her belongings, which she had left, the court was told.

A crowd of people surrounded her car and she then drove at them.

Defending barrister Ryan O'Donnell said: "My client had an argument with Miss Cameron earlier but the two women have had issues with each other on social media in the past.

"The man she hit was in fact a friend of hers so that was obviously not deliberate."

Judge Lawrie QC told her: "Somebody could so easily have been killed by your driving which was reckless.

"I could send you to immediate custody for what you did but I am not going to.

"You used your car as a weapon and it was a shocking and unpleasant piece of driving.

"You are the sole carer for your six-year-old daughter who needs you to be there for her at her tender age.

"Why should she suffer because of your actions?"

Before sentence was passed, CCTV footage of the whole incident was shown to the court.