The emergency services were called to an address in Trefoil, Amington, on the morning of Friday, October 1, after Emily Dove dialled 999 threatening to kill herself.
The 23-year-old, who lives at the address, had been out the night before and drunk four half-pints of lager and two shots before returning home to drink a litre of vodka.
She appeared before Tamworth Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, November 18, where prosecution solicitor John Peel outlined her case.
Paramedic Gary Taberer arrived at the scene where Dove, who had told him she had taken some tablets for a possible overdose, had trodden on broken glass.
“Unprovoked she pushed at the paramedic several times to his left arm and upper chest. He sought refuge in the kitchen and called the police,” said Mr Peel.
Police officers soon arrived at the scene and Dove became increasingly foul-mouthed and aggressive, spitting at officers before she was arrested in the ambulance.
Leg restraints and handcuffs were used to bring her under control after she attempted to bite an officer.
One of the officers was forced to use her hat to prevent Dove from aiming more spit at her colleagues, after spit landed on the fleece of PC Stuart Harmen.
Dove’s foul-mouthed rant continued to hospital where she shouted and kicked out aggressively.
Dove pleaded guilty to three charges: a Section 39 offence of assault by beating (battery), assault of a constable in the execution of his/her duty and using threatening words/behaviour to cause harassment, alarm or distress.
Magistrates retired to read the Probation Service‘s pre-sentence report before defence solicitor John McGregor began his submissions to the bench.
“My client understands and accepts what she did was very wrong,” he said.
“Obviously, she has ongoing issues and alcohol was the catalyst for this behaviour, but not for one minute are we suggesting someone tied her up and forced alcohol down her throat.
“She accepts she pushed the paramedic and she is embarrassed because he was there to assist her.”
He added: “My client claims one of the officers commented she was a poor mother and doesn’t deserve to have her children which would go some way to explaining her reaction.”
Mr McGregor also questioned the police officer’s application for compensation, highlighting his client was barely 5ft tall and of slight build.
He also conceded to magistrates that their sentencing decision was a difficult one, given Dove’s psychological issues detailed in the pre-sentence report and that she had already received a suspended sentence from crown court for another offence which she was in breach of with the new offences.
“If you [magistrates] feel this crossed the custody threshold,” said Mr McGregor, “I urge you to consider another suspended sentence, as a period in prison would have a devastating impact on her life.”
The bench retired for 25 minutes to consider their sentence.
Magistrates did believe Dove’s crimes crossed the custody threshold, but decided to suspend her four-month sentence by 18 months.
They took into account her early guilty plea, which reduced the sentence from six months to four.
There were two conditions to her sentence, a supervision order for 18-months with the probation service and to complete the One-to-One accredited course.
She was also ordered to pay £85 court costs, £100 in compensation to the paramedic and £50 compensation to PC Harmen.
