Yob’s supervison for disturbances

A Blantyre woman who kicked the doors of a police car and hit her head against its interior while being driven to a Lanarkshire police office was last week placed on a year’s supervision.

Mary Helen Mccafferty, of Nursery Place, had also repeatedly kicked officers on the body, lashed out with her arms and struggled violently.

The 21-year-old admitted three charges: two of behaving in a threatening and abusive manner and one of assaulting two police officers.

One of the threatening and abusive manner charges was aggravated by prejudice relating to disability.

Mccafferty had repeatedly shouted and swore and made abusive and threatening remarks at her home in Nursery Place on July 31 this year.

At Nursery Place, and at the M74 near Motherwell Road, Mccafferty assaulted two police constables by repeatedly kicking them on the body and hindering them. She also lashed out with her arms, kicked them and struggled violently with them.

She also repeatedly kicked the doors of the police car taking her to Motherwell Police office, struck her head against the interior of the car and made abusive remarks.

Co-accused, Mccafferty’s 44-year-old mother Jacqueline Ferguson, pleaded not guilty to a charge of obstructing police officers at Nursery Place on the same date.

She had been accused of preventing officers from entering a bedroom within the house by trying to put a set of ladders in front of the officers and continually approaching them while they were arresting Mccafferty. Her not guilty plea to this charge was accepted by the Crown.

A not guilty plea tendered by third accused, 19-year-old Stephen Scott Mccafferty, of East Kilbride, to a charge of behaving in a threatening and abusive manner at the Nursery Place address on July 31 was accepted by the fiscal depute.

At Hamilton Sheriff Court last week, Sheriff Andrew Mcintyre imposed a community payback order on Mary Helen Mccafferty, comprising one year’s supervision, as an alternative to custody.

A community payback order review hearing was set for January 20.