Head-butted man and spat at police

She admitted three charges of assault occasioning actual bodily harm on August 3 last year.

She also pleaded guilty to disorderly behaviour, assault on police, resisting an officer and criminal damage to a police uniform.

The court heard that at 1.25am police received a report of man having been head-butted in the Spice House, Thomas Street, Portadown.

His nose was injured and there was blood around his nostrils.

Donaldson was identified and arrested for assault.

She started shouting obscenities and was screaming incoherently. She spat at a police officer, striking him on the leg.

The defendant then kicked at a different officer and struck a constable on his ballistic vest.

When Donaldson was put in handcuffs along with limb restraints she tried to strike her head on the pavement and police had to hold her head up.

She was placed in a police cell and had to be under constant supervision as she continued to try and injure herself by striking her head off the hard surface of the cell.

A barrister representing the defendant said it was a ‘fairly disgraceful’ scene.

He added that Donaldson knew the injured party and what started out as messing around on her part quickly escalated.

The lawyer said alcohol played a pivotal role in her behaviour.

She was not without her troubles over the years and used alcohol and drugs as a crutch.He explained that she had a similar matter to be dealt with at a forthcoming sitting of Lisburn court.

District Judge Des Perry said his main concern was that she had appeared at the appeal court on July 7 last year and then committed these offences on August 3.

He adjourned sentencing until Friday, July 1, to see what happens at the Lisburn hearing.