A WOMAN who lashed out at police officers after being arrested for being drunk and disorderly told magistrates she was the ‘nicest person’ apart from when she had been drinking.

Olivia Mattock, 18, of Accrington, was in Skipton on January 17 to attend a funeral and was arrested at The Craven Hotel, Craven Street after police were notified of a problem and because she refused to calm down for officers.

She was taken to Harrogate Police Station where she assaulted three separate women police officers by punching and kicking, and also by using her nails.

In CCTV footage, shown to Skipton magistrates, Mattock was seen swinging a punch at a PC at the custody desk before also kicking her, and then going on to assault two other officers. Mattock can also be heard pleading with the officers to stop and to leave her alone as they struggle to calm her down.

Prosecuting, Nadine Clough, said PC Watson had asked Mattock to take her hands out of her pockets at the custody desk after which the teen had hit the officer in the face.

Other officers had then attempted to calm Mattock down, and while trying to remove her ear-rings, she had kicked out again. She was taken screaming and struggling to the cells where she dug her nails into PC Harden’s arm and kicked PC Joblin in the leg.

Mattock, who admitted being drunk and disorderly and also three separate charges of the assault by beating of an emergency worker, asked for the CCTV footage not to be shown in court.

She described the footage as ‘disturbing’ and asked magistrates if she would be sent to prison, adding: “I would never do anything like that unless I am drunk. I am the nicest person.”

The court was told Mattock had lived in Skipton, but had moved to Lancashire under the care of the local authority since she was a teenager.

She had returned to the town for a funeral, had drunk to excess and was ‘appalled and disgusted’ by her conduct. Fortunately, all of the police officers had suffered just minor injuries, the court was told.

Magistrates told Mattock that they agreed with her and that they too found the CCTV footage disturbing.

Mattock, of Water Street, Accrington, is due back at the Skipton court on February 28 for sentencing.