A COLERAINE woman who hit a policewoman over the head with a stubby has been convicted, fined $1800 and received a suspended jail sentence.
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Jessica Lee Jones, 23, of Read Street, pleaded guilty in the Warrnambool County Court this week to intentionally causing injury and resisting police.
She received a six-month jail sentence which was suspended for six months.
Prosecutor Richard Lawson said that at 7.30pm on January 30 last year Jones met her boyfriend at a Coleraine house.
About 8.30pm, police were confronted at the front gate by a group of aggressive and abusive occupants. A woman was standing near a van with her two toddlers and Jones was standing nearby. Senior Constable Nicole Munro encouraged them to move on. Senior Constable Munro also noticed a car and told Jones if she didn’t move it she would get a ticket.
Jones came and stood within one metre of Senior Constable Munro. Jones twice asked she be given a warning but the request was denied and Jones then started screaming abuse and swearing. Senior Constable Munro told Jones she was under arrest and took hold of her.
They struggled and Jones struck the officer with a stubby to the head above the right eye.
Senior Constable Munro began bleeding profusely, fell backwards and then dropped to her knees. Jones was arrested by other police and continually struggled and resisted being placed in a divisional van.
Soon after Senior Constable Munro was sitting in a police vehicle being administered first aid when she noticed Jones had got out of the van. The policewoman attempted to restrain her and Jones resisted by swinging her arms around.
Jones bit the policewoman on the thumb and broke the skin. Senior Constable Munro began punching Jones so she would let go of her thumb. A police sergeant went to help Senior Constable Munro, Jones resisted and the sergeant suffered scratches to his forearm.
“I just wish none of this had happened and I am really sorry for what happened to the police officer. I don’t know, it’s not the usual thing. I don’t do this sort of stuff,” Jones said.
Defence counsel Michael Turner said the whole incident was out of character for Jones who had no prior convictions.
Judge Graeme Hicks said it struck him as quite a disgusting incident involving Jones attacking a police officer with a stubby after being asked to move a car.
