A woman who racially abused a pregnant neighbour and her unborn baby then walked out of her own sentencing hearing.

Tiffany Leach, 47, had been "banging" on the door of the victim's flat in Brazen Gate, Norwich, late at night.

Norwich Magistrates Court heard the victim, who was heavily pregnant and has a black boyfriend, was then racially abused about her unborn baby.

Giving evidence during a trial held earlier this month, the victim said the first time she met Leach she "abused me from her balcony" and she had received "constant abuse" since.

The victim had been at home with a friend when Leach "started banging very loudly on my front door" and shouting for about 45 minutes.

The woman, who was "heavily pregnant" at the time, said Leach was banging to the point that her whole flat shook and her dog got scared.

She called the police but through the spy hole in the door saw Leach stick two fingers up at her and then racially abuse her.

The victim said the comment made her feel "terrible" adding "my son hadn't even been born and already he's getting racist remarks".

Leach, refused to leave her cell to attend the trial and was not represented but was found guilty by city magistrates of racially/religiously aggravated intentional harassment on May 24 last year, as well as being convicted of displaying a visible representation, namely her fingers, with intent to cause harassment on the same date.

On Wednesday Leach, formerly of Brazen Gate, Norwich, who is currently at HMP Peterborough in relation to other matters, appeared briefly via videolink for sentencing but then walked out of the booth.

When told the hearing would proceed in her absence she replied "yes, that's fine".

She was ordered to pay the victim £150 in compensation and was also made the subject of a restraining order prohibiting her from contacting the victim, directly or indirectly, for two years.

Kieran Dunphy, mitigating, said it was difficult to say much on her behalf as she was not accepting of having been found guilty of the offences but insisted it had been a "one off event" rather than an "orchestrated series of events".