Women Jailed for Assaulting Police at Lockdown Party

Two women who attacked police officers at an illegal house party during the coronavirus lockdown have been jailed.

Bayleigh Meadows and Millie Robinson, both 21, were drinking and playing loud music at a friend’s flat in Edgeland Terrace, Eastbourne, on 8 April.

Two officers sent to the property were denied entry and punched and kicked, with one hit by a toilet roll holder, Lewes Crown Court heard.

Robinson was jailed for six months, and Meadows was jailed for a year.

Meadows, of Lottbridge Drive in Eastbourne, pleaded guilty to one charge of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

Robinson, of Edgeland Terrace, pleaded guilty at a previous hearing to two charges of assaulting an emergency worker.

The court heard Robinson was intoxicated and repeatedly taunted a female police officer with threats such as: “I’ve got coronavirus, watch out.”

She then become violent when a male police sergeant tried to arrest her.

‘Absolutely disgraceful’

During the assault, Meadows swung a toilet roll holder with a heavy base at the officer, causing a cut on his forehead.

Robinson’s defence barrister, Rebecca Upton, said she had found lockdown “extremely hard” and felt “extremely isolated”, leading to a decline in her mental health.

Adam James, representing Meadows, said she had underlying mental health issues and could not remember much of what happened.

PC Carl Smith said: “The verbal and physical abuse our officers were faced with in this situation was absolutely disgraceful.

“This happened during the height of the coronavirus lockdown period, when officers were continuing to do their job in challenging circumstances.”

A third defendant, Nicole Stonestreet, 20, of Seaside in Eastbourne, was charged with assaulting an emergency worker and is due to appear at Hastings Magistrates’ Court on 26 June.