Two women have avoided being locked up for a vicious attack on a Polish woman after a judge said he had to consider they were mothers of young children.Jessica Lamb, 20, and 21-year-old Stacy Blyth were told they had escaped custody "by a whisker".

Lamb, of Murston Road, Sittingbourne, and Blyth denied racially aggravated actual bodily harm but were convicted.

Blyth was sentenced to nine months imprisonment and Lamb to six months youth custody, both suspended for two years.

They will each have to complete 200 hours unpaid work and will be under a tagged curfew from 9pm to 6am for four months.

Maidstone Crown Court heard the pair picked on Izabella Iwaszkow and a man with her because of their Polish nationality.

They were walking home in the early hours in July 2010 when confronted by Lamb and Blyth near the Water Palace Chinese restaurant in Dover Street, Sittingbourne.

Miss Iwaszkow was punched and stamped on. She fell to the ground and was kicked in the head.

One of the men told them to "leave it because you could kill her". Blyth replied: "I want to see how this Polish bitch dies."

"It was a very one-sided fight," said prosecutor Mark Mullins. "It was an unprovoked attack on two defenceless people who just happened to be Polish and in the wrong place at the wrong time."

The victim was taken to hospital and treated for bruising.

Judge Jeremy Gold QC said Blyth, of Berridge Road, Sheerness, played the leading role, but Lamb joined in kicking Miss Iwaszkow.

"Neither of you has shown a trace of remorse," he said. "You both sought to place the blame on her for starting this. That clearly was untrue and was rightly rejected by the jury."

The offence was more serious because it was racially aggravated.

"Both of you richly deserve to go into custody," said the judge. "But I have to bear in mind there are three children involved here, all under the age of four."