A mother waded into a violent assault which flared as her son launched a brutal baseball bat attack on his former partner, a court heard.

Victim Natasha Hetherington suffered bruising and was hospitalised after being beaten in her home on Carlisle’s Raffles estate on December 19 last year.

In the wake of the night-time incident, four people were charged and brought to court.

They were Miss Hetherington’s ex-partner, Reece Bellas, 25, along with his mother Nicola Bellas, 46, his 31-year-old aunt Claire Bowman and Daniel Andrew Matthews.

Reece Bellas appeared at Carlisle Crown Court last month and admitted five offences including aggravated burglary while having a baseball bat and attempting to inflict grievous bodily harm upon Miss Hetherington.

Guilty pleas were also entered by Reece Bellas to assaulting Miss Hetherington and damaging her property on December 7.

At the crown court, three more people admitted being involved in the night-time fracas at Miss Hetherington’s home.

Nicola Bellas, Bowman and Matthews each pleaded guilty to a single charge of violent disorder in connection with that same incident.

Although the full facts of the incident were not outlined in open court, some details did emerge.

All four defendants were said to have “burst through” Miss Hetherington’s door.

Nicola Bellas admitted that she punched the householder once, and had arrived at the property carrying a wooden stick.

Bowman, meanwhile, accepted picking up a wooden stick at the property which she then used to assault Miss Hetherington by striking her legs.

It was also said that, unlike his mother and aunt, Reece Bellas had not put forward a basis of plea. He accepted the prosecution’s account of the trouble. This included his use of a baseball bat to attack his former partner.

The case of the four defendants was adjourned by Recorder Paul O’Brien. Background information was sought, and they are all due to be sentenced at the crown court this coming Friday.

Until then Reece Bellas and Matthews – both of Newtown Road, Carlisle – were remanded in custody.

Lawyer Paul Tweddle was present during the court hearing to represent Reece Bellas.

No pre-sentence report was being sought for him, stated Mr Tweddle, who added: “He is philosophical about his fate.

Nicola Bellas, of Hammond Close, and Bowman, of Grange Road, both Carlisle, were each granted conditional bail.

But the two women were told by Recorder O’Brien: “The fact that you have bail, of course, is no indication of the ultimate sentence.”