Woman took knife to police station '“ just weeks after avoiding jail for punching an officer

Emma Hook, 26, went to South Shields Police Station just an hour after completing an appointment with the probation service and told officers she had the blade.

She handed over the knife and was arrested on the spot.

Hook was already subject to a 12-month community order at the time of the bizarre offence, after admitting punching a police constable in the chest and making threats to kill other officers on a previous visit to the police station on November 30.

She previously had a brush with the law on November 2 after flagging down a police car in Western Approach, South Shields, to launch an expletive-filled rant at police and tell them she ‘didn’t like them’.

Then on December 13 she was again spotted at Western Approach in a drunken state and was arrested after telling police: “I hit a police officer the other day, I will do it again”.

Hook had been handed a 12-month community order and told to complete a three-month alcohol treatment order after the police assault and two drunk and disorderly charges in December and warned by a judge that she could have been locked up for the festive season.

The court heart it was another bout of drinking brought her back before magistrates and she admitted she had “no recollection” of her latest crime as she admitted a charge of possessing a knife in a public place at South Tyneside Magistrates’ Court.

Paul Doney, prosecuting, said Hook entered the police station at 3pm on January 18 and told officers she was in possession of a knife.

Valerie Bell, defending, said Hook was starting to turn around her life since moving away from South Shields, where she had been “led astray”.

Hook, previously of St Mark’s Way, South Shields, is now living in Durham. Miss Bell said; “She is a very vulnerable young woman. She has severe learning difficulties and has been diagnosed with a personality disorder.

“She was living on her own in South Shields and was targeted by more sophisticated offenders. She began to drink heavily and things just went from bad to worse.”

Alan Rhys, chairman of the magistrates, revoked Hook’s existing community sentence, replacing it with a fresh 12-month order. She must also pay costs of £85 and a £60 victim surcharge.