A 43-year-old woman who bit a paramedic has been jailed for four months.

Alison Beckley admitted common assault as well as a theft offence relating to a separate incident.

She was also ordered to pay the paramedic £200 compensation.

Prosecuting advocate Chrissie Hunt told the court that an ambulance was called to Beckley’s home on January 22.

As paramedics were trying to carry out checks on Beckley, she bit one of them on the finger and held on.

The paramedic shouted for her to stop biting and Beckley eventually released her.

However, she continued to try to bite the woman on the arm.

Beckley, who lives at Prince’s Street, Douglas, was taken to accident and emergency but during the journey, again tried to bite one of the paramedics on the arm.

At the hospital, she said that she was cold so she was given a blanket but then tried to bite the paramedic yet again.

The paramedic had to seek medical attention for the bite and was unable to continue her shift.

During a police interview, Beckley claimed she had no recollection of the biting incident.

On September 27, Beckley was seen leaving Marks and Spencer without paying for a number of items she had put in her bag.

She was subsequently arrested and said: ‘I’m guilty.’

A probation report said that Beckley had long-standing issues involving substance misuse and a traumatic background.

The report said that she had been clean from class A drugs for two years and was engaging with the drug and alcohol team.

However, she was sentenced to 18 months probation in February and was said to have not attended several appointments.

The report said that Beckley lived a chaotic lifestyle and had said she didn’t think she could keep the probation appointments.

Defence advocate James Peterson said that the shoplifting offence was low level with the value of the goods being £16.50.

Of the assault, Mr Peterson said: ‘Ms Beckley doesn’t recall the incident but she has never tried to deny responsibility.

‘She has attempted to send a card to the victim. The skin doesn’t appear to have been broken.’

The advocate said that Beckley’s last assault matter was in April 2018 and that it was almost 11 months since the latest one.

Mr Peterson asked magistrates to give his client a final chance and to issue a new probation order.

Magistrates chair Julian Ashcroft told Beckley: ‘We have a duty to protect our emergency services from assault.

‘You have a previous assault on a police officer only a few years ago.’

Beckley was ordered to pay the compensation at a rate of £10 per week upon her release from prison.