A Pembroke woman who assaulted a police officer has been handed a suspended prison sentence after admitting the offence.

Twenty-year-old, Elisha Hazel Callen of St Martins Road, Monkton appeared at Haverfordwest Magistrates Court on Tuesday to admit a charge of assaulting a police officer

She was also charged with being drunk and disorderly in a public place.

Prosecutor Vaughan Prichard-Jones told the court that on October 12, police officers were on patrol in the main street of Pembroke, when their attention was drawn to the defendant who was heard shouting at a male.

Officers led Miss Callen away from the male after which she told them ‘watch him kick off’.

The defendant then picked up an advertising board and threw it to the ground, before doing the same with a roadworks sign.

Miss Callen who then started using foul and abusive language, was followed by officers to make sure she didn’t commit any further criminal damage.

They found her at the entrance to Pembroke Castle where members of the public were looking on at her behaviour, before she was arrested after being told three times to calm down by the police.

Magistrates heard that Miss Callen then started banging on the police van and head butting the floor, before trying to spit and kick out at one officer.

The defendant was eventually restrained and it was here that she bit the police officer on the thigh before telling him ‘you deserve to die.’

The court was then shown a photo of the injury that the officer had sustained, and magistrates were told of Miss Callen’s previous convictions where it was heard she had spent time in jail for offences.

Defence solicitor Lauren Bayley told the court that her client had been out with some friends on the day of the incident, and that Miss Callen had little recollection of the incident but accepted the assault.

She explained that her client had panicked when she was restrained by the police officer, and that she was deeply sorry for what had happened.

Magistrates heard from probation officer Julie Norman who told them that Miss Callen had struggled without support that had been in place from a previous probation order.

She added that the defendant tended to binge drink and had a relapse on this occasion, but needed to take responsibility for herself as there was a risk of reoffending if issues weren’t addressed.

Sentencing the defendant, the chairman of the bench, said: “This was an unpleasant incident and it was lucky there wasn’t any more damage.”

Magistrates handed Miss Callen a four-month prison sentence suspended for twelve months.

She was also given a 20 day rehabilitation activity requirement, along with 180 hours of unpaid work.

The defendant was ordered to pay £100 in compensation to the police officer she assaulted, £85 in prosecution costs and a £122 victim surcharge.