5:02pm Tuesday 13th May 2008
By Gazette Reporter
Nightmare neighbour Deborah Jeary , who twice assaulted a policeman while on bail for attacking a student, has been jailed for ten months.
Jeary, of Heathfield, Chippenham, punched and kicked the officer who had been called to enforce a civil injunction imposed on her noisy parties.
The 40-year-old sobbed in the dock at Swindon Crown Court today when the jail term was passed before being taken away by prison officers.
Rosie Collins, prosecuting, said the first offence took place in May last year when Jeary hit a young man over the head with a large rock.
The victim was with a group of three men making their way home from an evening out on Sunday May 20 when they stopped to speak to someone.
As they were talking Jeary ran up and smashed student Nareen Shahi on the head from behind with a large rock.
Miss Collins said the victim suffered a wound to the back of his skull which bled profusely and needed to be glued together at hospital.
She said the victim's friends chased after her and caught up and when the police arrived she was seen to drop the large rock.
Although she admitted the assault she claimed she had been provoked but after a trial of issue magistrates decided a rock was used and there was the most minimal provocation.
Miss Collins said Jeary was on bail when the police were called to her home on Tuesday October 30 because a loud party was going on.
She said there is an injunction in place banning her from playing loud music at her home because of previous problems.
Officers including PC Matthew Jacobs went to the front door and knocked but although it was clear someone was inside no one answered.
Neighbours warned them that she had been drinking and the officers spoke to her through the front window - but she just reacted by exposing herself at them.
They went back to the door before she opened the front window and punched PC Jacobs in the face.
Officers went to the back door and managed to get in and arrested her but at the police station she kicked the same officer hard to the genital area.
Jeary pleaded guilty to actual bodily harm but was found guilty after a trial after denying two counts of assaulting a police officer.
Alex Daymond, defending, said his client had an alcohol problem which ahs been behind her previous offending as well as the latest offences.
He urged the court to consider imposing a community order to allow her to tackle her drink problem in the community.
"I say this is a case where something can be done to help; this lady rather than punish her by just putting her in prison," he said.
"I do ask this court to exercise a degree of leniency so something can be done about this problem."
But passing sentence Judge Douglas Field said the matters were so serious he had to impose an immediate period of custody.
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