A YOUNG woman was told she was in the "last chance saloon" after she was spared custody despite assaulting a police officer for the second time.

Appearing at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court for sentencing, after pleading guilty to assaulting an emergency worker, Lauren Fenna, 20, sobbed in the dock as Judge Paul Lawton told her she had been given repeated second chances to change her behaviour.

David Lees, prosecuting, said Fenna, of Westminster Avenue, Radcliffe, was serving a two year suspended sentence for spitting at a police officer on June 13, 2018, when she committed her latest offence on January 11, 2020.

Mr Lees said police officers were called following reports of a domestic argument between Fenna and her partner.

Fenna was described as being "intoxicated and upset" and was at a neighbour's house when she was arrested.

She was taken into custody at Bury Police Station, but on the way she became "difficult and abusive" with two female officers who she called a "slag" and "speccy four eyes".

Eventually Fenna stripped off her clothes and was standing in the back of the police van wearing just a sports bra and boxers when she arrived at the station.

She then talked over the custody sergeant and was being taken into a cell when she turned and punched a female officer in the face with such force she knocked her to the ground with CCTV footage of the incident shown to the court.

In a victim impact statement read by Mr Lees, the officer said she had only been serving for 12 months and had "always been confident" before the assault.

Mr Lees added that Fenna had a number of previous offences in the youth courts relating to public order, dishonesty and criminal damage and had served an eight month suspended sentence after she had attacked someone with a bottle following an argument in a casino.

Brendan O'Leary, defending, said Fenna knew she was in a "very serious and perilous position" but urged Judge Lawton to pull back from a custodial sentence.

Judge Lawton said: "How many second chances is a court supposed to gibe someone? She has had second chances again and again even though I accept she does have some deep rooted problems."

Mr O'Leary said his client had made "good progress" and had found somewhere to live as well as stabilising her relationship with her mother.

He said: "She is a young lady who was suffering an emotional breakdown and felt all her good work was going to be wasted."

He added that Fenna had been volunteering locally and there was a significant concern that she would end up homeless if sent to jail.

"If you give her another second chance she will be under no illusion that she can step even a centimetre out of line," added Mr O'Leary.

Handing Fenna an eight month sentence suspended for two years and 80 hours of unpaid work, Judge Lawton, said: "This was a totally unnecessary and gratuitous assault that was also unpleasant and it was one the officer did not deserve.

"If we meet again it will be for all the wrong reasons and I hope for your sake that does not happen."

Fenna was also sentenced to 20 hours of unpaid work for breaching her suspended sentence and will have to carry out 45 days of a rehabilitation requirement activity (RAR).