Alcoholic mum in attack on police
‘SAD TALE’ OF WOMAN WHO HAD HER CHILDREN TAKEN AWAY
A MUM struggling with alcoholism attacked police officers and paramedics who were trying to help her.
Stephanie Sowersby spat at and kicked emergency services crew, as well as racially abused two others during a number of incidents in a week in August when she was drinking a bottle of vodka a day.
Sowersby, 30, who was described by her lawyer as an alcoholic, came to the attention of police at 8pm on August 24 when officers were called to a disturbance in Jackson Avenue, Ilkeston.
A hearing at Derby Crown Court on Tuesday was told that officers found the woman “shouting and screaming” at a man outside a property.
Abigail Hill, prosecuting, said that when an officer went to detain her, the pair ended up on the floor, and Sowersby began to kick the officer. “She began swinging her arms at the officer, hitting [them] on the shoulder,” she said.
“She was taken to the floor and handcuffed. Other officers attended due to her aggressive behaviour.”
Sowersby had to be put in leg restraints and was taken to custody in a padded police van.
However, her tirade continued in custody and police, concerned about her mental health, requested an ambulance to take her to Royal Derby Hospital.
The court was told that there she began shouting and demanding to speak to her father – and her behaviour deteriorated when this did not happen.
“She responded by spitting in their [a paramedic] face and kicking the ribcage,” Ms Hill said.
The force of these kicks left the paramedic injured and forced them to take two weeks off work as they could not lift patients due to the pain, the court heard.
The defendant continued to kick out, hitting one police officer in the stomach and another in the face. She then started spitting, hitting two officers in the eyes, and continued to be so aggressive that she had to be medically sedated and was kept in hospital overnight.
When she woke up her tirade continued and she damaged the draw of a equipment cabinet, which she then swung at staff in the hospital.
Police then arrived and arrested her, with Sowersby shouting at one of them to “get off me you black b ****** .”
She then appeared to calm down, before getting one of her hands free and kicking towards the head of another officer. Police then used Captor spray to incapacitate her and take her into custody.
Ms Hill said that in interview Sowersby said she could not remember what happened and admitted she had been drinking a bottle of vodka a day prior to the incident.
She was released under investigation but another incident on August 31 brought her back to police attention.
She had assaulted her sister at Subway in Bath Street, Ilkeston, with police arriving to find her holding her sister in a headlock and punching her in an unprovoked attack.
Police used Captor spray to force to her to comply when she refused to let go of her sister and she was placed in leg restraints and taken into custody once again. “She was swearing and shouting abuse,” Ms Hill said. “She was thrashing about, her behaviour was erratic and extremely aggressive.”
Again, she racially abused one of the officers.
Luc Chignell, mitigating, said
Sowersby had had a difficult life and had suffered from an extremely abusive childhood. “She, at the moment, is dependant upon alcohol, to the point where she goes days at best without drink,” he said.
“She doesn’t want to be an alcoholic. To describe her life as having a poor start perhaps understates it.”
Mr Chignell said his client has PTSD as a result of her experiences in childhood and has had suicide attempts and episodes of selfharm.
Her children had been taken away by social services in March and, despite her mental health issues, she knows her alcohol problems are to blame. “One could probably count the days on one hand when she hasn’t been drinking,” he said.
“She knows that she cannot have her children back while she is afflicted with alcohol.
“I don’t press upon the court to pass the lightest sentence, I press upon the court to pass one that will help her.”
Sowersby, of Jackson Avenue, Ilkeston, was given a 12-month prison sentence suspended for two years and ordered to undertake 30 rehabilitation activity requirement sessions and six months of alcohol treatment requirement.
Recorder Stuart Sprawson said she was escaping a prison sentence by the skin of her teeth and given a “glimmer of hope”.
Warning that if she got in trouble again she would go to prison, he said: “If you don’t think of yourself, think of your children. You haven’t sought to hide behind your mental health for your offending.”
Sending her to prison, he said, would prevent her from “receiving the support you need”.
Sending you to prison, would prevent you from receiving the support you need
Recorder Stuart Sprawson