Chelmsford / Ongar: Woman sentenced for assaulting police officer while being arrested

A woman who assaulted a police officer who was arresting her for criminal damage has been ordered to attend an alcohol treatment programme.

Donna Bates, 45, had been ejected from the Ivory Peg pub in Chelmsford City Centre on 9 May 2023 by security staff after they said she was being violent and causing a disturbance.

She then repeatedly hit one of the pub’s windows with her elbow and smashed it.

Police were called and officers from Chelmsford Community Policing Team attended promptly, arresting Bates, of Millfield, High Ongar, on suspicion of causing criminal damage.

She was uncooperative and three officers were required to walk her to a waiting police van. While they were placing her inside the van, she struggled, kicking one of them on their arm, and she was further arrested on suspicion of assaulting an emergency worker.

Bates was sentenced at Chelmsford Crown Court yesterday, Tuesday 12 December, to a 24-month community order, including a six-month alcohol treatment requirement with conditions to undertake a treatment programme for 40 days and 30 days of rehabilitation activity. She was also ordered to pay £100 compensation to JD Wetherspoon.

Chelmsford District Commander Chief Inspector Paul Ballard said after the hearing:

“There is no excuse for assaulting police officers doing their job, which in this case, was to arrest a woman who was drunk and who had been causing a disturbance inside and outside a busy city centre pub.
“Make no mistake, we don’t tolerate this kind of behaviour, whether it is directed at police officers or the public.”

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