Woman kicked policeman when he visited with arrest warrant
A Sunderland woman has been handed a suspended prison term for kicking a policeman and other offences including drugs possession.
Candice Richardson, 39, kicked the officer twice on the leg when he attended her home in city centre Salem Street with an arrest warrant.
She had failed to attend a court appearance, leading the law to her door on Wednesday, September 8, magistrates in South Tyneside heard.
District Judge Paul Currer jailed her for a total of six weeks but put her prison term on hold should she not reoffend within the next year.
Prosecutor Gurjot Kaur said Richardson twice kicked the PC on his lower right leg, causing pain but no more serious an injury.
She added: “The officers had gone to execute that warrant.”
Ms Kaur told the court Richardson had three previous criminal convictions, the last being a shoplifting offence in January 2020.
For that, she was sentenced to an 18-month conditional discharge to which she was still subject when she attacked the officer.
But she also appeared in court in April to admit two charges of possession of drugs, including cocaine and Diazepam in Argyle Street, in the city centre.
She then failed to attend a follow-up court hearing for which the arrest warrant was issued.
Richardson pleaded guilty to a charge of assaulting an emergency worker by beating and two of drugs' possession.
And she admitted three charges of failing to surrender to custody, also doing so on Friday, November 5, and Monday, November 29.
Robin Ford, defending, said Richardson was “not heavily convicted”, adding: “She has been on the path of no offending.”
Mr Ford suggested to Judge Currer a suspended sentence might be the best punishment option.
The judge sentenced Richardson to six weeks’ imprisonment for the emergency worker attack as well as two weeks for each of the drugs offences, to run concurrently.
He also jailed her for two weeks concurrently for breaching the conditional discharge, with no separate penalty for failing to surrender to custody.
Richardson must pay the police officer £100 compensation. There were no court costs or victim surcharge.