A falling out over a man led a 39-year-old to cut a rival’s head open with her handbag before she started punching her.

Nicole O’Reiley spotted Leanne Taylor walking along Bell Road in Sittingbourne after some bad blood between them where the latter believed the former had been seeing the same man at the same time.

O’Reiley lost it when she saw Ms Taylor and jumped on the wall of the town’s cemetery and started shouting and acting aggressively, before swinging her handbag and causing the split to her head.

She then jumped on her and started punching before being pulled off by two men – but her fury didn’t stop there as after they let go, she started chasing Ms Taylor along the road and had to be held back again by the strangers.

The victim was said to have been left covered in blood and bruised with O’Reiley, of Cavell Way, Sittingbourne, later charged with causing actual bodily harm – despite Ms Taylor not supporting the prosecution.

O’Reiley admitted the offence when she appeared before Maidstone magistrates on July 11 and a pre-sentencing report was ordered.

She returned on September 5 to be sentenced with the court told the incident happened on August 4 last year.

Debbie Jones, prosecuting, said: “She jumped on the wall and was aggressive and swung her bag at the woman’s head and pushed her back and she hit her twice and split her head, she then punched her a number of times and two other men had to pull her off.

“She then follows Ms Taylor and had to be held back as she was trying to chase her along Bell Road – the woman was left covered in blood and was black and blue.

“She has a previous conviction for assault in 2006.”

Simon Holmes, defending, said: “[O’Reiley] was not in a relationship with the same person as the victim and this woman had been verbally abusive to my client on a number of occasions with hand gestures and more.

“It happened over a number of months; she was abusive to her and knew how to push her buttons and there had been a verbal exchange and she was goading her, which she knows she should have ignored.”

Magistrates placed O’Reiley on a 12-month community order which will see her complete a drug rehabilitation requirement for nine months to help her with addiction issues.

She was also ordered to complete 20 rehabilitation sessions, was placed under curfew for three months, and was ordered to pay Ms Taylor £50 compensation.