A WOMAN who dragged a toddler across a restaurant car park in front of stunned onlookers has been shown mercy by a sheriff for keeping out of trouble.

Jodie Mitchell, 26, sparked a nationwide hunt after diners in a Pizza Hut saw her shout and swear at the two-year-old and drag her along the ground by her reins.

She was eventually caught after police circulated CCTV images of the shocking episode, which took place in Falkirk's Central Retail Park.

The incident occurred about 3pm on February 6 last year when the girl, who was attached to reins and pushing a toy pram, was at the retail park with Mitchell and a man.

The girl appeared to be upset. According to eyewitnesses, Mitchell then picked up the girl, before setting her down and dragging her along the ground by by the reins.

The trio then left.

Officers - who were alerted by customers at the Pizza Hut - said at the time that they were "extremely concerned" for the child's welfare.

Mitchell, of Laurieston Gardens, Selkirk, pleaded guilty at Falkirk Sheriff Court in 2015 to behaving in a threatening and abusive manner towards the little girl, who for legal reasons cannot be identified.

She admitted that she "behaved in a threatening or abusive manner which was likely to cause a reasonable person to suffer fear or alarm" in that she did "drag the child along the ground, shout and swear at her, and behave in an aggressive manner towards her."

She blamed the incident on "being under stress" at the time.

Sentence had been deferred until Thursday, February 25 for Mitchell to show she could be of good behaviour and to prove it had been a one-off incident due to stress.

Sheriff Linda Smith was told she had not come to the attention of the police since the incident, and ordered her to be simply admonished.