Louise Balmforth didn’t see the funny side of the childhood game as she chased the 13-year-old across her garden.
Kilmarnock Sheriff Court heard that the youngster was playing with a group of friends at around 6pm on July 7 when they knocked on Balmforth’s front door in Laburnum Avenue.
The procurator fiscal depute told the court that the teenager didn’t even manage to reach the fence of the garden before being grabbed and dragged.
The teen was left crying and scared, the court heard, but a neighbour witnessed the attack and shouted at Balmforth to stop.
The fiscal said the teen’s mother contacted police, who went to Balmforth’s home and arrested her before taking her to Saltcoats police station.
The 60-year-old’s sentence was deferred until last week for background reports after she pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to a charge of assault.
Gillian Swanney, defending, said Balmforth felt like a “prisoner in her own home”.
Ms Swanney added: “She was regularly targeted by the youths in the local area. It is fair to say that she was at the end of her tether.
“She understands that she should have never laid hands on the teenager.
“She fully regrets the way she has acted. It was certainly impulsive. She has accepted full responsibility.
“According to the [social work] report, she seems to be at low risk of further offending, and there is nothing else outstanding.”
Balmforth was placed on a ‘structured deferred sentence’, lasting for six months, with the first review due in March.
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