A woman who slashed a woman with a kitchen knife outside a pre-school in Colchester has been given a suspended sentence.

Nineteen-year-old Solie Essla left her house in Forest Road at 3.30pm on March 22 this year with an eight inch kitchen knife and was initially seen by a man who was walking his dog, Ipswich Crown Court heard.

She was heard shouting phrases including "I'll kill you" and an Arabic phrase, before turning away from the dog walker and running across the road towards two women, who were walking with a newborn baby in a pushchair, said Wayne Cleaver, prosecuting.

As she approached the women Essla lifted her arm and swung the knife at one of the women, striking her on the shoulder.

As she delivered the blow, which caused bruising, Essla shouted: “You betrayed me”, said Mr Cleaver.

Essla had then slashed the other woman three times on the lower part of her arm in a “stabbing motion” causing three separate cuts.

Following the assaults, Essla went back to her house before leaving shortly afterwards without the knife but this time carrying a book.

She then ran into an alleyway, again shouting further and was seen turning pages of the book.

She was detained by the dog walker who had seen her earlier and when the book was examined it was found to be about Egyptian queens.

At an earlier hearing, Essla admitted unlawful wounding, having a knife in Forest Road, Colchester, and assaulting a woman by beating.

She was given 16 months detention in a young offenders’ institution suspended for two years and a 30 day rehabilitation activity requirement.

She was also banned from contacting the victims of the offences and from going within a mile of Forest Road until further order.

Sentencing her, Recorder Paul Garlick said she had spent the last six months in custody which had been a traumatic experience for her.

He said Essla was not suffering from psychosis and her risk of reoffending in the way the court had heard about was low.

He said Essla could be safely managed in the community and this enabled him to take an “exceptional” course by passing a suspended sentence on her.

Steven Dyble for Essla said she had no previous convictions and described her as “vulnerable”.