A 42-year-old mother of nine became involved in a street fracas after her daughter’s home was attacked and threatening comments posted on Facebook.

Anne Marie Boyle, of Corban Avenue, Enniskillen, pleaded guilty at Fermanagh Court to assaulting a woman during the incident.

Boyle, who receives £400 a week in state benefits, was fined £100 and ordered to pay the woman £250 compensation.

A prosecutor told the court that at approximately 7pm on Friday, February 21, a large crowd gathered outside the home of the injured party at Foxhill Close in Enniskillen. A house had been damaged and there was a lot of shouting and roaring. Police intervened and told the people to keep back and not to take the law into their own hands. The crowd dispersed but 20 minutes later a large number of people gathered outside the home of a person accused of causing criminal damage. Boyle was seen grabbing the woman and pulling her forward. She was arrested and denied the assault, claiming the police had not seen her pulling the woman’s hair. She also claimed she had been assaulted.

Defence solicitor Emer Cox accepted it was a very unsavoury incident. Police were called after Boyle’s daughter’s house was attacked. Windows had been smashed with stones and threatening comments posted on the social networking site Facebook.

“She simply wanted to get to the bottom of it,” said Miss Cox.

District Judge Nigel Broderick told Boyle: “A mother of nine children shouldn’t be getting involved in this type of behaviour.”