A 48-YEAR-OLD woman, who had never been in trouble in her life, brandished a Stanley knife at police during a stand-off in her home after drinking for the first time in 15 years, a court heard.

Bradford Crown Court heard that Maureen Waterhouse had asked to be sent to prison to be punished for doing wrong.

But sentencing her to a 12-month community order, with a 30-day rehabilitation activity requirement, Judge Neil Davey QC told her: “The biggest punishment is you have lost your good character. You will always be known as the woman that had a go at police with a knife when she was drunk.”

Prosecutor Syam Soni told the court that Waterhouse’s husband contacted police, at 11pm on August 26, saying she had threatened to harm herself and was inside their property armed with what was found to be a Stanley knife with a ten-inch blade.

Mr Soni said the defendant, who suffered from depression and had drunk a bottle of wine and a bottle of cider, had barricaded herself inside. Two officers, armed with tasers, had to force entry.

Mr Soni said Waterhouse became extremely hostile, shouting at the top of her voice. The officers tried to negotiate with her, but she rushed at them “with the knife drawn and brandished like a dagger above her head.” He said she brought it down with a stabbing motion but the officers avoided it.

Waterhouse continued to threaten the officers and repeatedly stabbed the wall. She was finally subdued when the tasers were deployed.

The court heard she was extremely distressed and fervently felt she had done wrong and required to be punished.

Waterhouse, now of Throxenby Way, Clayton, Bradford, pleaded guilty to affray.

Judge Davey told her: “You behaved completely out of character and in a way that would have staggered anybody who knew you. It’s plain to me the reason you behaved in the way you did was an accumulation of matters that had been building up over a number of years.

“You sensibly gave up drinking 15 years ago. But problems had been occurring in your personal life, matters that were not your fault, but made life for you harder and harder to bear. The tipping point was reached and you could not take the difficulties you had to deal with anymore and turned to drink again, the first occasion in 15 years.

“You were involved in a stand off with police, armed yourself with a knife and rushed at police officers with the knife. Fortunately, nobody was injured.”

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