A 34 year old who assaulted a woman at the Heron pub in Anagh Coar has been handed a suspended sentence.
Jessica Marguerita Radcliffe also confronted the same woman on a later date at Spar in Anagh Coar, and swore at her.
Radcliffe, who lives at Cushag Road in Anagh Coar, admitted common assault and threatening behaviour and was sentenced to six months custody, suspended for two years.
Magistrates also ordered her to pay £725 prosecution costs and issued a 12 month supervision order.
Prosecuting advocate Sara-Jayne Dodge told the court that, on August 12 last year, at 8,30pm, Radcliffe was in the car park at the Heron pub.
An altercation took place between two other women, but Radcliffe then went inside the pub and slapped the complainant, causing an injury to her lip.
She was later arrested at Barrack Street in Douglas and taken to police headquarters.
During an interview, she denied going to the Heron or having any knowledge of the complainant.
During a second interview, CCTV footage was shown to Radcliffe, but she then answered ‘no comment’ to all questions.
On September 10, Radcliffe was at Spar in Anagh Coar when she was said to have confronted the same complainant.
The woman told her that she should not be near her and asked her to walk away.
However, Radcliffe then said: ‘Don’t f****** tell me what to do. Come outside now.’
Police were called and when they arrived, Radcliffe was said to have shouted and sworn, even though children were present, saying: “F****** b****. F****** wrong ‘un. Get the f*** off me, you f****** bitch.’
At police headquarters, she handed in a prepared statement, denying the allegation and saying that the complainant had started shouting at her first.
Radcliffe had initially been charged with intimidating a witness, which she had pleaded not guilty to, but that was changed to a charge of threatening behaviour, after the complainant said she didn’t want to go to court.
The court heard that Radcliffe, who lives at Cushag Road in Anagh Coar, has a number of convictions, including ones for assault causing actual bodily harm and assaults on police officers.
In December 2022, she was given a two year suspended sentence.
Defence advocate Jim Travers referred to a probation report and a psychiatric report which had been prepared.
Mr Travers said that his client had been on bail for nearly a year now and had managed to abide by her conditions.
He said that the common assault had been admitted relatively early and the other guilty plea had been entered in May, after the alternative charge had been agreed.
Mr Travers submitted that there had been a de-escalation in Radcliffe’s offending.
The advocate said that his client had recently received a diagnosis which may explain some of her behaviour and was motivated to change.
‘Over the past 11 months, I would submit that Ms Radcliffe has proved herself, to a degree, with no offending,’ said Mr Travers.
‘That should give us hope for the future.’
Magistrates chair David Nash told the defendant: ‘Your record is atrocious.
‘We hope you realise how close you came to serving a custodial sentence.’
Radcliffe was also ordered to pay prosecution costs of £725, at a rate of £10 per week, deducted from benefits.