A WOMAN with a history of drink-related offending was jailed for three months yesterday (Wednesday) for a drunken assault on a woman special constable. Tracy O Dell bent the woman officer s fingers back and caused a fracture of a bone in her hand. O Dell,

A WOMAN with a history of drink-related offending was jailed for three months yesterday (Wednesday) for a drunken assault on a woman special constable.

Tracy O'Dell bent the woman officer's fingers back and caused a fracture of a bone in her hand.

O'Dell, 31, of Rushby Mead, Letchworth GC, admitted a charge of being drunk and disorderly and assaulting Karen Harding causing her actual bodily harm.

Steven Bailey, prosecuting at Luton Crown Court, told how on January 6 last year police received a call that a woman was shouting at staff in The Three Magnets pub in the town centre.

They found the defendant outside on the pavement and smelling strongly of alcohol.

She did not mince her words either telling the officer to "f... off!" as they questioned her.

The court heard that special constable Harding and her colleague then decided they would drive O'Dell to her home for her own safety and others.

She struck out at the police car's windows and was aggressive and abusive.

Eventually she was arrested for being drunk and disorderly and was told she was being taken to Stevenage Police Station.

Inside the car her behaviour did not improve and she lunged towards the woman special, grabbing two fingers on her left hand and bending them backwards.

It caused considerable pain and it was later found a bone had fractured in her hand.

The court heard O'Dell had a number of previous convictions including one for an assault on an officer and being drunk and disorderly.

Mark Humphries, defending, said the offence happened because of her drunkenness that day.

The barrister said she suffered problems with drinking and depression in the past, but having met a new man in her life had got her drinking under control.

Judge Geoffrey Breen said he accepted that O'Dell had not meant to cause the injuries she inflicted on the officer.

But he said she had been doing her duty and deserved the protection courts could provide.

He jailed O'Dell for three months.