A road-rage mum escaped jail after assaulting a biker while her young daughter was sitting in the back of the car.

Nurse Leah Keyworth, of Kilcoby Avenue, Swinton , ran into the back of the motorcyclist after he had a ‘verbal’ with her when he spotted her using her mobile phone behind the wheel.

After they both stopped the 42-year-old pushed and slapped her victim before throwing his £300 safety helmet into the road.

Keyworth then drove off without sharing her details with the biker.

The victim – whose helmet and Honda motorbike were a write-off after the crash – then called the police who arrested Keyworth.

At a hearing at Manchester and Salford Magistrates’ Court , the mum-of-three was handed a 12 week prison sentence, suspended for a year, and ordered to pay £1,290 in fines and compensation to the victim.

She had pleaded guilty to driving without due care and attention, assault, criminal damage and failing to stop after an accident and failing to report an accident at an earlier hearing at the same court.

Subhanur Chowdhury, prosecuting, told the court that Keyworth had become abusive after having a ‘verbal’ with the biker after he remonstrated with her about being on her phone.

He said: “They were at a red light and he saw she was on her phone. They had a verbal and she became abusive. He carried on down Manchester Road towards Bolton and he said that she was following him very closely behind so he rode away. He then approached a pedestrian crossing and stopped. She was unable to and collided with him.

“He stepped off his bike and she got out of the car. She pushed him in the chest and then he took off his helmet and placed it on his seat. She then slapped him in the face and knocked his helmet off into the road, before driving away.”

But defending Keyworth, Robert Travis said that his client had been in an abusive relationship and so had reacted in the way she did.

Alleging that the biker must have said something to Keyworth to cause her to react, he said: “He must have said something significant for her to respond in this way.

“When she was interviewed by the police she apologised and accepts what she did. He was a large framed individual who was riding a bike and took off his helmet and how she has suffered for many years may have caused her to feel like that again.”

Keyworth also had 10 penalty points put on her licence for her role in the incident.