A SINGLE mum whose pattern of offending was sparked by the tragic death of her partner faces two years in prison for assaulting police officers.

Gemma Dunne, of Greenwood Crescent, Orford, seriously bit and pulled the hair of officers at The Stonemill pub after she became aggressive when not receiving her food order.

During a hearing at Liverpool Crown Court today, Wednesday, prosecutor David Watson said on Thursday, February 21, the two officers, PC Emma Pitt and PC Lauren Pedley, attended the pub and restaurant in Orford after Dunne started shouting and swearing and was asked to leave the premises.

Police found Dunne in the presence of children and was clearly drunk and agitated, referring to traumatic incidents from her childhood and accusing police of not being there for her.

Officers attempted to calm her down but when Dunne continued to shout, officers moved to arrest her.

Attempting to resist arrest, Dunne was bought down to the floor but bit down PC Pitt’s thumb, leaving the officer with no option but to strike Dunne to order to stop her.

In a victim personal statement read out in court, PC Pitt said: "It took a few weeks to stop replaying the incident in my mind.

"I have always been very confident that I did not do anything wrong.

"She was intent on hurting me and my colleague.

"It’s made me so aware of how my life could have been changed forever because of the thoughtless actions of another."

PC Pitt is still undergoing a course a hepatitis vaccinations as a precaution after the deep bite wound.

PC Pedley is still scarred by the incident after Dunne pulled so hard on her hair that it came out from the roots.

It continued to fall out in clumps throughout the course of the evening and it has left bald patches.

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Liverpool Crown Court

In her statement, PC Pedley said: "I lost a significant amount of my hair and my head was sore and sensitive.

"I have spent a lot of money on hair thickening and strengthening to help it grow back."

Benjamin Knight, defending during the hearing, put Dunne's pattern of offending, which includes further assaults on police officers, down to the tragic death of her partner in April 2014.

Michael Coray, aged 25, from Orford, died from severe head injuries following a crash on Poplars Avenue, on the same day the couple's child was born.

This has left Dunne as a single mother to three children.

She is currently having treatment for post traumatic stress disorder and has been diagnosed with an emotional instability personality disorder.

On the day of the offence, Dunne had decided to tell her family about upsetting and traumatic incidents from her childhood which Mr Knight said must have seriously impacted her.

Sentencing Dunne, Judge David Aubrey told her that he understood the impact Dunne's previous experiences must have had upon her.

He said: "With the greatest deal of respect to you, you are a damaged woman.

"It is quite apparent that you have issues with authority, some I have no doubt of your own making, some perhaps not.

"In 2015 you were before the court for two offences of battery and two offences of assaulting a constable in the execution of their duty.

"Officers must realise that the courts will do everything that they possibly can to protect them when they are acting in the execution of their duties.

"Anything other than immediate custody would fall short of appropriate punishment in this case."