(Image: Supplied)
A VIOLENT woman has been banned entirely from York city centre after she attacked seven people including five police officers.
Sarah Bycroft, 48, is now a high risk of causing serious harm to the public, to staff and police, the probation service warned York magistrates.
Her solicitor Liam Jackson said she broke the law when she had been drinking.
“If alcohol didn’t exist, she wouldn’t be here,” he said. “Alcohol addiction is a curse.”
Bycroft, of Finsbury Street, South Bank, York, pleaded guilty to five charges of assaulting police, two of assaulting men including a street ranger, one of theft and one of failure to comply with a community order.
She has previous convictions for violence and public disorder.
She was given a 14-week prison sentence suspended for 12 months on condition she does six months’ alcohol treatment and works with probation and was banned from the area within the City Walls for a year.
She must also pay £50 compensation to each of the seven people she attacked, plus £23.40 compensation to Marks and Spencer.
Prosecuting, Martin Butterworth, said staff at Marks and Spencer on Pavement spotted Bycroft stealing sandwiches worth £23.40 on July 16 by eating them or putting them in a bag.
When challenged by security, she tried to spit at one of them and punch him, and when a street ranger joined in, she punched him repeatedly.
Police arrived and handcuffed her and she kicked two of them.
RECOMMENDED READING
- Thug 'who doesn't exist' will kill someone if he doesn't change, court hears
- Shock over 'level of violence' as man seriously injured in alleged group assault
- Two men injured after being attacked by as many as six people in York
- Drunken York 'jackal' knocked out 'complete stranger' in York city centre
Released on bail, she was arrested in connection with other matters on September 5.
She was not charged with them, but while at the police station, she kicked two officers and spat at a third and had to be taken to the ground to control her.
None of the seven people attacked was seriously injured, though some suffered pain.
A probation officer told the court Bycroft was put on a community order in April for two more attacks on police.
It included a six-month alcohol treatment, but she had missed two appointments in August and September.
At the start of the order, probation officers had assessed her as posing a medium risk of causing serious harm but her increased drinking meant that she was now assessed as a high risk of causing serious harm to the public, staff and police.
Mr Jackson said she had been in hospital when she should have attended the alcohol treatment, but had failed to give probation officers proof of her hospital stay, therefore she had breached the community order.
In the past, she had managed to stay out of trouble for 11 years, but when she had difficulties, she turned to alcohol and drinking led to offending.
She wanted to work on tackling her alcoholism.