By Staff Reporter

Last updated at 13:15, Wednesday, 26 September 2012

Police had to be called to a house in Carlisle after a woman turned belligerent against the paramedics who were trying to help her after a suspected drugs overdose, the city’s Crown Court heard.

An ambulance was called to Joanna Brew’s home in Harraby on the evening of Sunday April 15 when she became ill after downing a large amount of alcohol and paracetamol tablets.

When the paramedics got to her house in Gillford Crescent, prosecutor Alan Lovett said, they found the 41-year-old inside, arguing with her speech slurred and insisting she had not called them.

“She seemed to be intent on quarrelling, not going to hospital,” he said. “She said she knew her human rights and was not going to hospital.”

The paramedics were so worried about her behaviour they called for police back-up. But when officers arrived she continued arguing, the court heard, even though her two teenage sons were pleading with her to go to hospital.

Brew then hit a policeman in the mouth, causing a minor injury to his lip, before the officers and paramedics went outside to let her talk to her sons.

When they returned, the court heard, she was in the kitchen, where she picked up a carving knife, which “caused the woman police officer extreme concern”.

The policewoman took out her baton to protect herself, and her male colleague used his incapacitant spray. When they saw that was having little effect, Mr Lovett said, the paramedics called for police reinforcements and Brew was overpowered with a taser.

She was then handcuffed and taken to hospital.

Brew, who had never been in trouble before, pleaded guilty to a charge of affray.

In mitigation, her defence barrister Keith Thomas said she had been suffering from acute stress at the time.

“She wishes to apologise, not only to the court but also to the police officers and the ambulance staff involved,” he said.

Recorder Simon Medland QC described Brew’s behaviour as “foully abusive and threatening”.

He said some sort of prison sentence was inevitable, but because of the background to the case and the fact that Brew’s behaviour had been “perfectly proper” since the incident, it could be suspended.

He imposed a 36-week prison sentence, suspended for 12 months, and put her under probation supervision for six months.

First published at 11:30, Wednesday, 26 September 2012
Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk