A Swindon woman assaulted police officers when they stopped her from cuddling her boyfriend.
Emily Draper, 19, pleaded guilty to two counts of assaulting an emergency worker at Swindon Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday (1 February).
Prosecutor Kate Prince said PC French and PC Lang responded to reports of a disorder in Ruland Road, Park North, at about 1am on New Year’s Day 2022.
The officers tried to separate the defendant, of Old Brewery Lane, Old Town, from her partner – with whom she had been having a “loud disagreement” in the street.
But Draper kicked out at PC French, causing him to fall to the floor. She was threatened with PAVA spray, but continued to kick out at the officers – kicking PC French in the back whilst they were in a scuffle on the ground.
PC Lang, who was assisting in detaining the defendant, ended up falling to the ground and hitting her head.
“The officers would have felt very vulnerable in that situation”, Ms Prince said.
Gordon Hotson, defending, said the assaults were from Draper “thrashing around kicking out with her legs”, rather than deliberately setting out to case harm.
She was “very upset and very distressed” at the time of the incident, he told the court.
Adding that the defendant was “hugging him not assaulting him” following their disagreement, and reacted badly to the officers physically pulling her away from partner.
Draper is currently signed off work due to mental health issues, and Mr Hotson said she’d been off unmedicated at the time due to the doctor requiring her to change from one medication to another.
The lack of usual medication combined with alcohol contributed to her “utterly inappropriate behaviour”, he added.
Magistrates described her behaviour as “completely unnecessary”, before imposing a £240 fine but no award for compensation to the officers. She must pay £85 costs and a £34 surcharge.
