A YOUNG woman who attacked a police officer who attempted to search her has been ordered to pay her compensation.

Francesca Louise Fawcett assaulted the female officer at Bishop Auckland Police Station at about 2.30am on April 4.

The officer had been asked to search the 22-year-old, who was on her mobile phone at the time.

At Newton Aycliffe Magistrates’ Court today, David Maddison, prosecuting, said the officer asked Fawcett to end the call and tried to take the phone off her but she became “agitated and aggressive and began shouting and swearing at the officer before grabbing hold of her hair with both hands and pulling her down to the floor”.

Mr Maddison said other officers had to restrain Fawcett before she would let go and the officer suffered as Fawcett had dug her nails into her scalp.

Mr Maddison confirmed Fawcett, of Chaytor Road, Consett, had previous convictions for assaulting police officers and was in breach of a conditional discharge for a separate unrelated offence last November.

Andrew Clinton, mitigating, said his client did not know why she was in the police station and had been drinking at the time of the incident.

Mr Clinton said Fawcett was on the phone to her mother at the time and felt the officer was being “unreasonable” by asking her to end the call.

Magistrate, John Robinson, gave Fawcett a six-month community order with a three-month alcohol treatment programme and ordered her to pay £50 in compensation to the injured officer and £40 in costs.