The woman subjected her daughter to a series of assaults between the ages of seven and nine.

A mother who beat her daughter with a wooden spoon, put soap in her mouth and locked her in her room has been jailed.

The woman, who cannot be named to protect the identity of the child, subjected her daughter to a series of assaults between the ages of seven and nine.

The child was forced to steal food from local shops because she was not properly fed at home. She told social workers she "enjoyed school" because she was given food there.

The abuse was finally revealed when the girl told a member of the public at a local shop that she had run away to stop her mother hitting her.

The 32-year-old, of Dundee, was jailed for eight months on Thursday.

Fiscal depute Mohammed Siddique told Dundee Sheriff Court that the woman had also forced the girl to put soap in her mouth as a punishment for lying, because she had been treated that way growing up.

The abuse also included locking the girl in her room for lengthy periods to stop her stealing food from the kitchen and forcing her to stand for long periods as a punishment.

Mr Siddique said: "The girl was found in a local shop and said she had run away from home because 'mum had been hitting her'. She was taken to a nearby police station where she told police what had happened. Her mother later appeared to report the girl missing, and admitted 'I have been hitting her'.

"The complainer said that over two years she had been assaulted by her mum on numerous occasions as punishment for either telling lies or stealing food. She had been repeatedly slapped on the face and said her mum would often hit her with a wooden spoon.

"She described stealing food when mum was not looking as she was often hungry as mum didn't give her food. Sometimes she had stolen from the local newsagents when she was hungry - and those retailers said they also gave her food when she was hungry.

"She said she would be punished by having to stand in the hallway for extended periods and a bolt was put on her bedroom door to keep her in. She would be locked in her room overnight to stop her stealing food from the kitchen.

"She said that she had also been forced to put soap in her mouth as a punishment. At times the girl would be kept out as late as 4am on school nights with her mum when she went to a friend's house."

The mother, of Dundee, pleaded guilty to wilfully ill-treating her child between July 1, 2012 and September 6, 2013 and to assaulting her on numerous occasions between September 1, 2011 and September 6, 2013.

John Boyle, defending, said: "She moved to this area several years ago but quickly became unable to cope with her daughter. She's aware given the serious nature of the offences that prison is a possibility. The girl has been in foster care since her mother was arrested and is now staying with her father."

Sheriff Tom Hughes jailed the woman for eight months.

He said: "This is a very distressing case and one which is a matter of grave public concern. You have subjected a very young child to considerable ill treatment over a lengthy period of time and the courts can't condone this type of behaviour and must protect young children.

"A custodial sentence is inevitable. The maximum sentence is 12 months and that is what I impose - although you must be given a discount for your early plea, which will reduce it by four months."