A single mother who mauled a community policewoman after she tried to stop her banging her head on the floor outside a pub has been spared jail.
Kirstie Rutherford, 30, sank her teeth into the arm of PCSO Rebecca Campbell whilst the officer was trying to stop her deliberately hitting her head as she was being detained outside the Rufford Arms Hotel in Ormskirk.
PCSO Campbell, who works for Lancashire Police, suffered bruising to her forearm in the arrest. She said she was left feeling apprehensive about attending incidents in the future and questioned if she still wanted to be a police officer.
Inquiries revealed Rutherford, from West Derby, Liverpool, had 25 previous offences on her record many for drunken and boorish behaviour. She also lost custody of her son and daughter due to her abuse of alcohol.
At Sefton Magistrates Court, the mother-of-two pleaded guilty to being drunk and disorderly and assaulting an emergency worker and was sentenced to 16 weeks in prison, suspended for 12 months.
Single mother Kirstie Rutherford (pictured), 30, bit the arm of a community policewoman after she tried to stop her banging her head on the floor outside a pub has been spared jail
Rutherford (pictured) attacked PCSO Rebecca Campbell whilst the officer was trying to stop her deliberately hitting her head as she was being detained
PCSO Campbell, who works for Lancashire Police, suffered bruising to her forearm in the arrest outside the Rufford Arms Hotel in Ormskirk
Rutherford, who has undergone rehab treatment since losing custody of her children, was ordered to complete 20 rehabilitation activity days and six months of alcohol treatment.
She was also ordered to pay PCSO Campbell £150 compensation and pay £274 in costs and a victim surcharge.
In a statement to colleagues PCSO Campbell said: ‘Since the incident where I was bitten, I have questioned my actions even though I did everything right that evening.
‘As a result of being bitten I sustained temporary bruising to the right hand and forearm. It was tender and sore in the days following the accident. I was bruised on my right fist.
‘Due to my position in the police, this incident has made me more apprehensive about attending incidents.
‘It made me question if I still want to be in this position with the police if I’m going to be exposed to people like this.’
Sentencing District Judge Wendy Lloyd commented: ‘She hurts people when she is drunk. I’ve read the reports and she is making her own misery.
‘She has lost two children as a result of alcohol abuse and I wonder what else the court can do that can be worse than that?’
PCSO Campbell said she was left feeling apprehensive about attending incidents in the future and questioned if she still wanted to be a police officer.
Inquiries revealed Rutherford (pictured), from West Derby, Liverpool, had 25 previous offences on her record many for drunken and boorish behaviour
Rutherford (pictured) also lost custody of her son and daughter due to her abuse of alcohol
The judge told Rutherford: ‘This was quite a horrible thing to happen and obviously, it is the assault that really worries me.
‘This officer was just trying to help you as you were clearly going to be vulnerable if you were left in the state that you were in.
‘But the way you pay the officer back is by biting her. It was a horrible vicious thing to do. I have no doubt this offence passes the custody threshold. We have to protect the emergency workers.
‘They are on the front line.. It is completely unacceptable that they should be in fear going about their job. PCSO Campbell was really questioning her future because of all of this.’
The incident occurred at 10pm on February 28 this year after police were called to the pub following reports Rutherford was being abusive to staff.
Clare Oliver, prosecuting, said: ‘Officer Rebecca Campbell and a police colleague arrived at the scene after the hotel staff called having had trouble with the lady Miss Rutherford.
‘The officers try to get hold of her details to establish what was going on but she continued to get angry and officer Campbell’s colleague arrested her for being drunk and disorderly.
‘The officers were then trying to escort her to custody when she began to manipulate her wrists out of the handcuffs and was causing trouble for the officers. She hit her head on the door.
Rutherford pleaded guilty to being drunk and disorderly and assaulting an emergency worker and was sentenced to 16 weeks in prison, suspended for 12 months
‘The officers tried to get control of her outside of the vehicle but she was not compliant and was then trying to fight back to the officers.
‘Officer Campbell described that she had a hold of her head to prevent her hitting it on the concrete and prevent her hurting her or her colleagues – but the defendant then bit her on the right forearm.
‘The injury from the bite was bruising to the right forearm between the wrist and the elbow. Other officers arrived at 10.25pm and they were able to get hold of Miss Rutherford and the situation.’
In mitigation defence solicitor Louise Bauress said: ‘Since thus incident she has done a lot to try and help herself and has voluntarily engaged with alcohol support services.
‘She does realise the position she finds herself in and realises the offence has crossed the custody threshold – but she would welcome rehabilitation.
‘She is due to go back to the family court and is hoping for custody of her children. She does realise that there is a lot of work to be done. Hopefully by working with the probation service she can get to the place where she needs to be.’