A South Shields mum has been jailed after breaching a suspended sentence order by drunkenly biting a police officer's thumb.
Susan Rigg, who also goes by the name 'Gypsy Star', was serving a suspended sentence when she hurled abuse at two police officers and then bit one of them.
The 68-year-old carried out the violent attack despite calling the police herself and asking for their help to be "re-housed".
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Rigg appeared at Durham Crown Court on Thursday for sentence after pleading guilty to breach of a suspended sentence, burglary, and assaulting an emergency worker.
Neil Jones, prosecuting, said in October, last year, Rigg was given a seven month prison sentence, suspended for two years for assaulting two prison officers while incarcerated at HMP Low Newton.
She had summoned the officers to her cell and told them she "may have Covid", then "coughed at them", the court heard.
She was also ordered to undertake 35 rehabilitation days as part of her sentence.
But within a month, Rigg breached her suspended sentence by failing to turn up to a probation appointment on November 17 because it was her birthday.
Attack
Then, later that month, on November 26, Rigg breached her order a second time by violently assaulting a female police officer.
"At around 11pm a police constable was on duty with a colleague when they attended a South Shields address", Mr Jones said.
"The defendant was sitting drinking alcohol with another woman and a man.
"The man wanted the defendant to leave and she [Rigg] was ringing the police to try and get re-housed.
"The police were trying to re-house her but they were getting drunken slurring words."
The officers then took Rigg back to an address she was last listed as living at, but the locks had been changed.
Then, as the female officer opened the back door of the police car, Rigg "became abusive".
The officer then attempted to handcuff Rigg, but a struggle ensued before she bit her "thumb and forefinger".
The court heard Rigg told the female officer: "Do you want me to chew your face off?"
She then "tried to spit in the general direction" of the officers before she was taken to Southwick police station in Sunderland.
Burglary
Rigg was also sentenced for a burglary she carried out on November 8, 2020, when she went to a Leeds apartment block and stole two parcels belonging to two residents.
The court heard Rigg, of had three previous convictions for 19 offences.
Speaking about the assault, Shada Mellor, defending, said: "She had been staying at the address of her son's friends as she had no accommodation at that time.
"She had been drinking Lambrini and the male then became violent and was pushing her. She called the police to protect herself and the other woman present.
"She was taken back to her last listed address but the locks had been changed. She was intoxicated and frustrated."
Ms Mellor added Rigg had some "physical disabilities" and that she had attended a "number" of probation appointments.
Jailed
Sentencing Rigg, of Galsworthy Road, South Shields, Judge Ray Singh said her life had been "completely derailed in your late 60s" and jailed her for 10 months.
"Please behave yourself from here on in", he added.
