A Reading mother who held a knife to her daughter’s stomach on Christmas Eve in an incident of domestic abuse is facing jail, a court heard.

Diana Henry, of Barbel Close, was convicted after trial of threatening her daughter with a kitchen knife in a private residence on her street.

The court heard Henry, 58, unlawfully and intentionally, threatened the victim in such a way that there was an immediate risk of serious physical harm to her on December 24, 2022. 

Henry had also admitted assaulting her daughter by beating her on the same date.

District judge Samuel Goozee told Reading Magistrates Court: “Ms Henry was found guilty on the full facts of one offence of threatening her daughter with a knife, in the course of which she is alleged to have held it to her daughter’s stomach.”

Henry’s case had been adjourned on May 3 for a pre-sentence report to be prepared, but Judge Goozee said the case was so serious it needed to be sent to Reading Crown Court for sentence. 

The judge said: “This was a high culpability offence committed using a bladed article and it was committed in a context of domestic abuse.

“That, in my view, is an offence which should receive greater punishment than this court has power to impose.”

Henry had also admitted two counts of sending an electronic communication - on May 10 and May 14 last year - conveying a threatening message for the purpose of causing distress or anxiety to the same victim.

Henry was given bail until a future date to be notified, on the condition that she not contact the victim directly or indirectly.