AN alcoholic who smeared her blood on a police officer’s face while being stripsearched has been jailed for 13 weeks.

Catrina Jennie Holland told officers she was unable to squat for the search because of her period, magistrates in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, heard yesterday.

To prove her point, the 37- year-old wiped blood across the female officer’s face.

Ciaran Grogan, prosecuting, said the incident at Darlington police station on Tuesday had been extremely distressing for the officer because the blood nearly went in her mouth.

He said: “While officers become hardened to aggression, this is a step beyond what they normally face and equates to the use of a weapon.”

He said the officer washed her face several times and was especially concerned because Holland had a history of drug use, which was one of the reasons she had been strip searched.

The court heard that Holland, of Grange Road, Darlington, was arrested after assaulting a 15-year-old girl at the skate park in South Park, Darlington, that day.

Mr Grogan said the victim was approached by Holland, who looked as “though she was either drunk or on drugs”.

Holland asked the girl if she wanted a smack before punching the teenager in the left side of her face, causing bruising and swelling.

Holland admitted assaulting the girl and the officer, as well as a third attack on a 14- year-old girl in McDonald’s, in Darlington, on June 17.

Mr Grogan said Holland grabbed the girl’s hair clip, but returned it moments later.

She then started taking pictures of the girl, who she did not know, on a phone and threatened her.

Alan Green, in mitigation, said his client has major alcohol issues and was drunk on both occasions.

He said she felt ashamed by what she had done.

She was jailed for 13 weeks for assaulting the officer, and four weeks, to run concurrently, for the other assaults.