A woman who was caught with a hammer in Chippenham has escaped a prison sentence.
51-year-old Sharon Hawthorn pleaded guilty to being in possession of an offensive weapon when she appeared at Swindon Magistrates’ Court last month.
Crown prosecutor Pauline Lambert said police were called to reports of a woman holding a claw hammer in Avenue La Fleshe at around 6.30pm on 17 March.
Officers carried out a search of the area and located a woman matching the description near Unity House in Wood Lane a short time later.
Hawthorn, of Wishart Way, Pewsham, was arrested and taken into custody. She told officers that she’d consumed two bottles of wine and had been drinking for about 12 hours.
She said that a day of drinking made her depressed and she made the “wrong decision”, claiming she’d taken to the weapon with her because she was “scared” following a recent assault.
In custody, she accepted she had been waving the hammer around but had no recollection of events. She said she had been spending time with a group of people who reside in Unity House, and agreed they were a bad influence.
Mark Glendenning, defending, said his client was a “vulnerable lady” who had been subject to “a number of serious assaults” recently and as a result, she was carrying a hammer.
He told the court Hawthorn has alcohol and mental health issues.
District Judge Joanna Dickens said: “People can die when people have weapons, it’s one thing to punch someone, using your hands and fists but a weapon, particularly a claw hammer can kill someone”
Hawthorn responded: “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry”.
Accepting her vulnerability and the previous assault, Judge Dickens imposed a 12-month community order with a six-month alcohol treatment requirement, a £100 fine and a £95 surcharge.
She told Hawthorn to expect a prison sentence if she’s caught with a weapon again – stating: “You’ll be sent to prison for six months minimum, that’s the law.”
