Woman avoids jail as 'prisons are jammed'

JUDGE 'SCEPTICAL' BUT ACCEPTS PROBATION SERVICE'S ADVICE

- By CARL EVE

A WOMAN with a history of offending has been given a chance to go straight on the outside if she can stop drinking and mend her ways.

Megan Wheatcroft appeared at Plymouth Crown Court where she faced a number of offences, all of which took place in Tavistock on April 24 this year.

Prosecutor Nick Lewin expalined that a Criminal Behaviour Order placed on 35-year-old Wheatcroft, of Whitchurch Road, Tavistock, was amended on September 30 last year and was due to a “significant amount of drunken behaviour” which had caused difficulties in the town.

He said on the night at around 10.10pm police received a call from Wheatcroft who said she was in Bedford Square - a place she was prohibited from being in.

She claimed she was feeling unwell, was going to stab someone due to her mental health issues. Just 20 minutes later she called again and described an “unpleasant fight” was taking place before becoming “abusive and unpleasant” to the call handler.