A woman who assaulted a police officer while drunk has been sent to prison and made the subject of a lifetime criminal behaviour order which bans her from Camborne and from being drunk in Truro city centre.

Gennette Ford, aged 32, of no fixed abode, appeared before Truro Magistrates' Court where the application for the CBO was made as a result of a partnership between Cornwall Council’s anti social behaviour (ASB) team and Devon and Cornwall Police.

The CBO bans Ford from entering Camborne, from being found in a state of drunkenness in Truro city centre and from being in possession of an open container of alcohol in the city centre.

After pleading guilty, Ford was also given an eight week prison sentence for breaching a CBO and four weeks, to run concurrently, for assaulting the attending police officer.

Dorian Thomas, from Cornwall Council’s ASB team, said: “There have been many attempts to support Miss Ford through challenging times in her life. It is unacceptable to behave in such a manner while intoxicated and to be out of control.

"Members of the public have been subjected to her persistent bad behaviour, foul language, spitting and total disregard for the public and the community. The latest incident resulted in an assault on a police officer whilst carrying out their duty. With this in mind and the long history of support from various agencies, we had no choice other than to act with the full force and powers at our disposal.”

As well as unacceptable behaviour in Camborne, Ford also continued to affect the public and agencies attempting to assist her in Truro city centre. Previous interventions such as voluntary warnings were imposed to assist Ford to choose an alternative direction in life. Many support agencies had been involved with Ford to help turnaround her behaviour however she chose to ignore the warnings and support.

Mr Thomas added: “The public must have the confidence and reassurance to report anti-social behaviour. Reporting this type of behaviour will assist in making our towns a more pleasant place to socialise and live. We do accept that many people will face challenges and we will work with them and try to help them find an alternative lifestyle but they must make a commitment to change themselves guided by the many support services in the community.”