A BOURNEMOUTH woman has appeared in court after assaulting five police officers in a series of incidents.

Jane Elizabeth Rice was handed a 16-week prison sentence, suspended for 18 months by district judge Stephen Nicholls.

Rice, aged 46 and of St Peter’s Road, Bournemouth, admitted five charges of assaulting emergency workers by beating them as well as criminal damage of a police vehicle, being drunk and disorderly and a public order offence.

Judge Nicholls heard that the defendant assaulted PC Sayles by beating her in St Peter’s Road on June 19, 2020. Further assaults took place that day on PC Greenwell and PC Watkins at Royal Bournemouth Hospital.

On August 12 last year, Rice used threatening or abusive words or behaviour or disorderly behaviour within the hearing or sight of a person likely to be caused harassment, alarm or distress and she assaulted PC Davies.

The defendant destroyed the windscreen of a marked police vehicle and assaulted PC Yates on in St Peter’s Road, Bournemouth, on September 4, 2020.

Her most recent crime on Christmas Eve last year involved her being guilty of disorderly behaviour while drunk in a public place, namely St Peter’s Road.

At a hearing at Poole Magistrates' Court on January 28, Judge Nicholls issued concurrent suspended prison sentences for the officer assaults and ordered Rice to pay £50 compensation to each police constable.

No separate penalty was given for the criminal damage, drunk and disorderly and public order offences.