A woman from Cornwall has avoided prison after pleading guilty to being drunk and disorderly in front of members of the public - including children.

Jo Thomas, aged 29 of Trewey Road, Truro appeared at Truro Magistrates' Court on Thursday (August 29) where she pleaded guilty to one count of being drunk and disorderly in a public place.

The court was told that on August 14, 2024, Thomas was found in an intoxicated state, shouting and swearing in front of members of the public and children on Union Place in Truro. 

She was also said to have urinated in public, again in front of children and people.

The court heard that Thomas had a complex background that has led her to consume alcohol and other substances. She was also due to undergo surgery.

Despite her past, the magistrates deemed Thomas’s risk of reoffending to be low, as she is currently undergoing rehabilitation.

Thomas shared her struggles with her current situation with magistrates, telling them: “I am really struggling at the moment, it's hard.”

The bench acknowledged Thomas’s efforts at turning her life around and granted her a conditional discharge - but not without emphasising that any further offences would result in more severe consequences.

Thomas was also ordered to pay £85 costs and a £26 surcharge to fund victim services, totalling £111.