Woman jailed after 'refusing to take responsibility'

COURT HEARD HOW SHE HAD THROWN WAY REPEATED CHANCES TO AVOID PRISON

- By MARK NAYLOR

A WOMAN has finally been jailed after throwing away repeated chances to avoid prison.

Ann Bennett, 33, of Bridlington, denied breaching a one-year suspended prison sentence imposed on May 7 last year by failing to attend a probation appointment on May 19 this year. The breach was found proved.

Mother-of-five Ann Bennett previously hurled abuse at police and defiantly refused to come inside, leading worried officers to close nearby roads and call in negotiators and an ambulance. There were fears that she could easily slip, fall and cause herself serious injuries because the roof area was so small.

She had narrowly avoided prison last year for threatening to kill an ambulance crew member with a kitchen knife during another confrontation, Hull Crown Court heard.

The suspended sentence was imposed for making threats to kill on March 23 last year and using threatening words or behaviour on March 20 last year.

She admitted later committing two new offences of affray on February 17 this year and was remanded in custody. Sentence on those matters was deferred on May 2, when she was released from prison and given a chance to turn her life around. She did not, however, fully comply with requirements to cooperate with the probation service.

She went to live in Rotherham, despite being told that this was not suitable. It was her third breach of the suspended sentence and her engagement with the probation service was “sporadic”.

Bennett told the court: “I don’t want to go back to jail.”