Woman attacked nurse in drunken ‘meltdown’

A MOTHER attacked a hospital nurse after having a drunken “meltdown” outside a Birmingham supermarket, a court heard.

Jenny Harrison also tried to bite a police constable before attacking a detention officer, pulling out clumps of her hair as she was strip-searched in custody, Birmingham Magistrates were told.

Harrison, 41, from Stirchley, said she felt ashamed and disgusted with herself after she was shown footage of her actions. She admitted two charges of assaulting an emergency worker by beating and one count of common assault on an emergency worker. Harrison was sentenced to 24 weeks jail suspended for 18 months. She must complete 20 days of rehabilitation activity and pay each victim £100 compensation.

The Chair of the Bench told her: “We are facing outside of conflict the worst national health emergency in 102 years. We don’t need our nurses and police officers to be assaulted in times of absolute need.

“It is absolutely outrageous they should be assaulted in their line of duty, their work. We do feel this crosses the custody threshold. However, we also think you are genuinely someone who can be rehabilitated.”

Steven Micklewright, prosecuting, said police were first alerted to Harrison’s behaviour outside Iceland, in Kings Heath, at about 6.30pm on June 4.

He said: “Officers were directed to reports of a female being intoxicated and abusive. They arrived and saw the defendant had slurred speech, wasn’t making much sense, smelled of alcohol and was unsteady on her feet. An ambulance was requested.

“They took her to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, the defendant was agitated so officers travelled with her.

“She became aggressive during transportation. She made several attempts to bite the hands of the officer, she was showing her teeth saying, ‘do you want that?’”

Harrison initially refused to put a mask on at the hospital and was told to wait outside.

When a nurse tried to talk to her the defendant “lashed out and hit her in the face, causing a minor injury to the bridge of her nose,” he added.

She was then taken to custody at Perry Barr, continuing her aggressive and abusive behaviour towards officers on the way. Upon arrival Harrison attacked a female detention officer by “pulling clumps of her hair” as she resisted a strip search.

The victim claimed it was the worst assault she had experienced in her 11 years on the job, the court heard.

Fergal Bloomer, defending, said Harrison had battled alcoholism for 15 years among other health problems. He explained that family problems had been the “trigger for this meltdown”.

Harrison received some bad news in the days prior to the offences causing her to relapse into drinking.