Overview

• The altercation broke out at Sommerville Primary School in Wallasey on July 10, 2024, after Natasha Sherlock accused fellow parent Samantha Rylance of sleeping with her ex-boyfriend
• CCTV footage provided by the headteacher showed the women slapping and punching each other before Rylance’s partner and Sherlock’s father intervened
• Sherlock faced an assault by beating charge at Sefton Magistrates’ Court on June 9, 2025, and was cleared after insisting she acted in self-defence
• District Judge Paul Healey described the confrontation as thoroughly unpleasant to witness in a school playground crowded with parents and children
• Both mothers suffered black eyes and their children were left shaken and reluctant to return to school following the incident