A young woman has spoken of the terrifying moment she was set upon in the street by a group of four females from the same family.

Rhea Page was walking home with her boyfriend after a night out when the drunken women attacked her, knocking her to the ground and taking turns to kick her in the head.

The 22-year-old suffered bruises and grazes to her head, back, legs and arms, and had clumps of hair pulled out.

Seventeen months on from the attack, which happened in High Street, in the city centre, she is still undergoing counselling and suffers from panic attacks and flashbacks.

On Tuesday, she attended Leicester Crown Court for the sentencing of her attackers.

The women all admitted actual bodily harm and received suspended sentences.

Miss Page, who lives in the Anstey Lane area of Leicester, said: "It should have been immediate custody after what happened. It's not sending out the right message about street violence.

"They were kicking me in the head right up to the minute the police arrived."

CCTV footage of the assault, which happened on June 18 last year, was shown in court.

After the hearing, Miss Page, a former support worker who helped care for people with autism and and learning difficulties, said she was unable to return to work following the attack, initially because of the visible injuries and then due to the emotional trauma.

She eventually lost her job.

"It has affected my life," she said.

"Even in shopping centres, I feel scared not knowing who's behind me."

Sisters Ambaro Maxamed (24), Ayaan Maxamed (28) and Hibo Maxamed (24), all of East Park Road, Leicester, and their cousin, Ifran Nur (28), of Gotham Street, in the city, all received six-month jail sentences, suspended for 12 months.

Sentencing, Judge Robert Brown said: "This was ugly and reflects very badly on all four of you. Those who knock someone to the floor and kick them in the head can expect to go inside, but I'm going to suspend the sentence."

He said he accepted the women may have felt they were the victims of unreasonable force from the victim's partner.

However, Miss Page said outside court that he had only been trying to protect her.

During the hearing, James Bide-Thomas, prosecuting, said Ambaro Maxamed, who started the violence, had called Miss Page a "white bitch" during the incident.

However, the women, who are all Somalian Muslims, were not charged with racial aggravation.

Nur, who joined in the attack after initially acting as a peacemaker, said it was in fact the victim's partner who had been racially abusive, but Mr Bide-Thomas said that was not accepted by the prosecution.

The court heard that after words were exchanged, Ambaro Maxamed had grabbed Miss Page's hair, causing her to fall on the ground.

Mr Bide-Thomas said: "Miss Page was repeatedly kicked on her back and head and was crying and screaming throughout.

"Afterwards, she felt sick and was pulling her own hair from her mouth."

Gary Short, mitigating for Ambaro Maxamed, said the attack was down to alcohol.

He said: "Although Miss Page's partner used violence, it doesn't justify their behaviour.

"They're Somalian Muslims and alcohol or drugs isn't something they're used to."

As well as the suspended sentence, Hibo Maxamed, who needs dialysis three times a week for a kidney complaint, received a four-month curfew between 9pm and 6am.

The others were ordered to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work.