THE sister of chef Heston Blumenthal has been spared jail after she slammed her mother’s head against a car in a rage.

Alexis Blumenthal, of Park Street, Thame, admitted assaulting her mother Celia at Aston Park, Watlington, on September 9 and in East Street, Thame, on October 7.

Oxford Magistrates’ Court heard at her sentencing yesterday that the 49-year old had subjected to her mother, Celia, to a four-year campaign of abuse, largely fuelled by alcohol.

The court was told that before the first incident, in September, Blumenthal had been out drinking with her mother when she decided to stay the night at the 76-year old’s Watlington home.

Later that night Celia brought her daughter medication and Alexis suddenly launched into an attack, grabbing her from behind and punching her repeatedly.

She then pushed her while she was standing at the top of a staircase forcing the pensioner to grab hold of the bannister to stop herself from falling.

During the second attack, one month later, the pair were in East Street in Thame when Alexis – in another unprovoked attack – ‘slammed’ her mother's head against the car they had been driving in, before a passer-by shouted for her to stop.

In a victim statement read out to court, Celia said that her daughter had subjected her to a ‘campaign’ of abuse and said: “I really believed the violent rages were so bad that if she had access to a knife she would use it against me. These assaults are the culmination of four years of verbal and violent abuse.”

In mitigation, Francis Howard said that the underlying problem in the offending had been alcohol and said that she was remorseful.

Blumenthal was given a 10-week prison term for the first assault and eight weeks for the second, each to run concurrently and suspended for 12 months. She must also complete 20 days of rehabilitation activity requirement and pay £615.