An argument over parking during a school run led a mother to racially abuse an Asian neighbour and threaten to burn her house down – as young children were watching.

Adeola Adebayo, 24, a mother of one, was found guilty of four counts including one count of assault by beating on a 61-year-old man, a racially-aggravated assault by beating, a racially-aggravated provocation of violence by words and criminal damage.

She pleaded not guilty to all of the charges and was convicted at Romford Magistrates’ Court today after a two-day trial.

The court heard Adebayo became “aggressive” after mother-of-four Shaista Rasool, who was picking up her children from Farnham Green Primary School, Goodmayes, at around 3.20pm on February 3, told her she had been blocking cars driving out of Regent Gardens for about 15 minutes.

Adebayo, who admitted parking “in a rush” to collect her son and a friend’s daughter, then approached Mrs Rasool’s brother Muhamed Imran, who was sitting in his car, and punched the phone he was holding to film the scene – hitting his face – while his four children were sat in the back.

Mr Imran told the magistrates Adebayo started making references to his Pakistani origins and said: “This is a free country, I can park anywhere.”

The exchange escalated into “a heated argument” and Abidah Farhanah, who was inside her parents’ home in Regent Gardens, said she was alerted after hearing “screaming and shouting” outside.

She ran out with her father Monir Miah, 61, who said he tried to calm Miss Adebayo down but she “pushed him back five times on his chest” before taking out an oil canister from her boot and threatening to burn down his house, he told the court.

Adebayo, of Chadwell Avenue, Chadwell Heath, who represented herself, denied all allegations in court. “I never lost my temper that day. If someone talks to me I will talk back, if someone shouts at me, I will shout back,” she said.

Paul Roach, prosecuting, told her she “could have drove off at any moment” and should have listened to the five-year-old girl in her car, who had asked her to go home.

Miss Farhanah described Adebayo’s behaviour as “erratic” and like she was “possessed”.

She told the magistrates she used “filthy language”, racially abusing her and making references to her Asian origins, shouting “this is not your f*** country”, “f*** Allah” in front of her niece and nephew and children her sister was looking after.

“It was outside my family home and there were children around. The fact that she was calling me a b**** did not bother me but it was the racial element of it that angered me,” said Miss Farhanah.

Adebayo denied all allegations in court, adding she would never use racist language as she was born in a Muslim family.

The court heard she approached the house and kicked the front door, breaking a side panel and causing £150 worth of damage before driving off.

Magistrate Les Claridge said the bench believed Adebayo’s evidence was “less credible and challenged the accuracy of account and truthfulness”.

Adebayo will appear in Barkingside Magistrates’ Court on October 4 for sentencing.