A mother-of-four has been jailed for more than four years after she was involved in 'stoning' a police officer as he tried to make an arrest during the Bradford riots.

PC Mark Simpson was pelted with stones from point blank range as he struggled on the ground to hold on to a suspect, a court heard.

The attack by 30-year-old Bernice Dunn and other rioters left the officer badly bruised and his protective helmet was dented and split at the back.

Prosecutor Timothy Hartley said: "The man in question broke away and has not been identified. As a result of this defendant's actions, and others, one of the rioters escaped being arrested.''

The stoning incident was captured on TV news footage of last July's major disturbances and police video evidence also showed Dunn hurling missiles at police lines.

On one occasion she walked within a few feet of a group of officers and threw a slab of stone at them even though they were shouting out her name and telling her she could get 'life'.

Mr Hartley said Dunn, of St Paul's Close, Manningham, was also seen to be celebrating when an officer was knocked to the ground having been hit by a stone thrown by another rioter.

Dunn, who has a series of previous convictions including prostitution, robbery, and assault, was arrested in October last year and admitted being part of a hostile crowd in the White Abbey Road area.

During her interview she also accepted she had given her lighter to a group of youths planning to set light to a gas cylinder placed inside a stolen car.

"That car was set on fire with a gas canister in it and then used as some form of primitive fireship against the ranks of officers," said Mr Hartley.

"It is perhaps fortunate the gas canister did not explode and there was no injury as a result of that."

Dunn told police she had been using heroin and drinking prior to getting involved that night and expressed remorse for what happened.

Judge Stephen Gullick branded her behaviour "disgraceful" and said her involvement would have resulted in a sentence of six years in prison but for the fact that she had given evidence for the prosecution in a recent attempted murder case.

The defendant in that case received a life sentence for a frenzied knife attack on a prostitute friend of Dunn's and Judge Gullick said she should get a significant reduction in her jail sentence because of her willingness to give evidence.

Jailing her for four-and-a-half years he said she had still played an active role that night and the incident involving PC Simpson was an extremely serious matter.

Dunn's barrister Stephen Wood said she had the dubious responsibility of being the only woman charged in connection with the riots, but he stressed she was not a ringleader or instigator.

"It's quite apparent to anyone who views this video that the police know Bernice Dunn," he said.

"They know her very well and they instantly recognised her."

Dunn claimed that she had got involved after being taunted by a police officer, but Mr Wood conceded that was no real excuse.

* It was revealed by police that Dunn's four-and-a-half year jail term took the total number of years in custody for those dealt with by the courts so far to more than 100 years.