A MOTHER who racially abused and assaulted a taxi driver has been spared jail.

A MOTHER who racially abused and assaulted a taxi diver has been spared jail.

Rachel Carragher, of Hale Close, verbally abused cabbie Abdul Khan and then punched him following a night out in Ipswich in September.

Carragher, a 34-year-old mother-of-two, pleaded guilty to the charge of racially aggravated assault at South East Suffolk Magistrates' Court and was given a 16-week prison sentence, suspended for one year.

The court heard how Carragher had been out drinking in Ipswich on the evening of September 18.

She got into a taxi with a man but the pair got into an argument after Carragher asked to go to a cashpoint while the man wanted to be driven home.

Mr Khan was unsure what to do, prompting Carragher to launch a racist outburst.

The victim stopped the taxi but Carragher leaned forward to get the keys. Mr Khan got out and called the police but as he did so was punched in the face.

He dropped his mobile phone and as he was searching for it on the ground he was struck in the back by a handbag three times.

District Judge David Cooper told Carragher: “This was such an infantile and ignorant attack.

“To abuse someone by the colour of their skin is outrageous.”

Carragher, who also pleaded guilty to breaching a conditional discharge order, was told to pay �200 compensation to Mr Khan, �85 costs and ordered to be electronically tagged until February 4.