A MORECAMBE mother of five who seriously assaulted a former friend, ripping off her ear before pillaging her flat as she lay unconscious has been put behind bars.

A judge told Marguerite Burgess, 39, and her teenage accomplice Ann-Jane Morrison, that it was nothing short of a miracle they were not facing a murder charge.

Burgess, of Westminster Road, Morecambe and Morrison of Shore Road, Blackpool, pleaded guilty to charges of causing grievous bodily harm and also burglary. Both were sentenced to 21 months in custody.

Preston Crown Court heard that in January last year victim Tracey Lowthian, a mother of two, was set upon and struck about the head so badly that her ear was torn off.

Then, as she was slumped unconscious, she was stamped upon and kicked.

An ambulance crew found her in a pool of blood at an address in Sefton Road and police searched the flat to recover her ear so that surgeons could carry out emergency surgery to save it.

In addition, the victim's address on Stanley Road was then burgled by the defendants and property, including video and audio cassettes and a gold chain, were taken. Following the incident, Burgess was said to have commented to a friend "I think it's murder."

Mr Jeremy Lasker, for Burgess, said she was a wife and mother who had no previous convictions.

At the time of the offence and for many years beforehand she had been a confirmed alcoholic.

"There has been a significant change in her life in the last two years," he said.

Burgess was said to have been 'binge drinking' on the date of the offences. Since then she had changed with the help of Alcoholics Anonymous and her husband.

Mr Lasker said: "She is petrified about what is going to happen. She is also petrified about the length of the sentence your honour will impose."

Mr Keith Thomas, for Morrison, said the woman involved in the incident last year was a very different person to the one appearing at court.

She had taken positive steps to overcome alcohol addiction.

Mr Thomas said: "She no longer uses alcohol or illegal drugs. She has no recollection of going to the burglary. It was quite bizarre and wholly out of character for her."

Passing sentence, Judge Brian Duckworth said that the pair had sought to blame each other when interviewed by police. It was hardly surprising they felt dismay and shock when they saw the 'dreadful' photograph of Miss Lowthian taken by a consultant when it appeared she was facing a life threatening injury.

The judge said: "Perhaps it is little short of a miracle you are not facing a high court judge on a murder charge.

"This victim had been asleep. She gave no provocation for what happened. She offered no violence herself."

He said he regarded both defendants as equally to blame. Having left her unconscious on the floor you went round to her premises and burgled it. It was a particularly mean, vicious sort of thing."