Woman kicked police officer in the stomach

A 31-year-old woman who was disorderly in Portadown on two occasions inside 24 hours was put on probation last Wednesday at Craigavon Magistrates Court.

Suzanne Shaw, whose address at the time was Portmore Street, Portadown, admitted disorderly behaviour on July 31 this year.

She also pleaded guilty to disorderly behaviour, resisting a constable and assaulting a police officer on August 1.

A pre-sentence report on the defendant was available to the court.

A prosecutor said that on July 31 at 10pm at Portland Court Shaw was shouting and swearing at a man on the top floor.

She was shouting and screaming profanities and police tried to defuse the situation but she was arrested.

On August 1 at Portmore Street she was in a hallway and heavily intoxicated.

She started shouting and swearing at police and kicked over a mop bucket and bin.

Shaw continued to shout and swear and when arrested kicked out at police striking a constable in the stomach.

A barrister representing the defendant said these two events happened within 24 hours of each other.

He added that in the probation report she had been assessed at a high risk of re-offending and the misuse of alcohol was a problem for her.

It had been only in the last few years that she had got into difficulties, said the barrister.

District Judge Steven Keown said he thought probation was the appropriate way to deal with the matter

The defence barrister said Shaw had now gone back to Belfast to live with her parents and probation would help with her alcohol rehabilitation.

Judge Keown said her problem was that if she keeps going like this she would end up in custody.

He imposed a period of probation for a year.