A teenage girl stuffed a police officer's handcuffs down her pants after he was called to a bust-up at her family home.
Lydia Robinson told the officer 'f**k you, I'll assault you if you come here to get the cuffs' before she threatened to throw a brick at him and kicked him in the shins, a court heard. The 19-year-old, from Little Hulton in Salford, was said to have 'anti-police sentiments' due to officers being called to her home multiple times.
She was arrested after the attack and charged with assaulting an emergency worker. But Robinson walked free from court after a judge admitted she had been subjected to a 'very soft' court experience.
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The attack happened on October 2 last year after Robinson's ex-boyfriend, who had previously been accused of assaulting the teenager, turned up at the property and a row broke out. Prosecutor Simon Barrett told the court: "Police attended after a complaint was filed by neighbours of a domestic disturbance incident.
"The defendant’s ex-partner had attended her mother’s address without warning. The ex-partner, who met the defendant when she was 16, has a history of domestic abuse which led to a non-contact order being imposed between the parties.
"He was not allowed to visit the Little Hulton area and when news of his attendance spread to the defendant, who was residing at her uncle’s address, she decided to come over straight away. The atmosphere became tense, and the police were called to the address by neighbours.
"The defendant and her family are known to have anti-police sentiments and when they arrived the defendant, in her own words, lost her temper, and lashed out at the police. She picked up a brick from the front garden and threatened to assault the attending officers if they come towards her family again.
"She then took the handcuffs of one of the attending officers when they were not looking, hid it inside her clothing and said: “F**k you! I’ll assault you if you come here to get the cuffs!” As the PC approached the defendant to try and arrest her, she leant forward and kicked him in the shins.
"He did not feel any pain from the assault and arrested the defendant. She was later released on bail."
The court heard how Robinson was convicted of criminal damage earlier this week after smashing a woman's window in a gang attack. She also has another previous conviction for assault.
Mr Barrett added: "The defendant appeared in Manchester Magistrates Court this week for a separate offence of criminal damage whilst on bail. She, and another group, cause £400 worth of damage to a window owned by Samantha Goodwin on the 1st of May. She was convicted and fined £212."
In mitigation, Robinson’s lawyer, Patrick Buckley said: "When police attended, she said the police were being heavy handed towards her mother and sister. She admits getting very angry and losing her temper as a result.
"She has a mistrust of the police after years of people calling them to her family address, when she believes that it is unwarranted. She has had a number of issues throughout her young life that provide an explanation for her anger.
"Her mother has experienced serious health problems in recent years, including being diagnosed for liver failure as a result of an alcohol dependency. She has not had much in terms of support.
"She didn’t attend school and instead simply walked out with no qualifications. However, she has told me she wished to be a midwife in the future once she has sorted herself out.
"She has no issues with drugs and alcohol. She also told me she doesn’t even smoke.
"She has a domestic abuse support worker that helps her out. She cannot currently stay at her mum’s address due to past incidents of her behaviour there but has the support of her father and brother in court with her today.
"I have to concede unless the path she is on is desisted, further convictions are possible."
Sentencing, Judge Sarah Johnston told Robinson: "I know you have a distrust in the police due to previous experience, but they are there to serve our community and don’t deserve to be assaulted when they are on their way to work. The PC was responding to a complaint made in your name and when you arrived your actions raised the temperature of the environment.
"You accept that you have a very short fuse but with offences like these you could have easily got yourself sent to prison. I hope you feel thoroughly embarrassed with yourself and you owe both probation and your defence counsel a huge debt of gratitude that you weren’t also sentenced for resisting arrest and that you are not going to prison today."
Before releasing Robinson from the dock, the judge added: "There is no unpaid work requirement to your sentence because I want you to focus on the rehabilitative activity. Although you have had a very soft experience here today, outside of court is an organisation that is built on authority, and you are going to have to show it respect otherwise you will come before me, and you will be sent to prison."
Robinson, of Wolver Close, Little Hulton, admitted assaulting an emergency worker. She was handed a 12-month community order with a requirement to complete 20 rehabilitation activity days with probation workers.
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