A woman who had been arrested and taken to the police station deliberately wet herself then threw her urine sodden knickers in a police officer’s face.

Blackburn Magistrates' Court heard minutes before the vile assault on June 18, Sarah Cunningham had squatted in a cell and urinated on the floor while wearing her underwear.

Cunningham, 28, of Crabtree Avenue, Waterfoot, pleaded guilty to assaulting an emergency worker.

She was sentenced to 18 weeks in prison suspended for 18 months with a 30-day rehabilitation activity requirement.

She was ordered to pay £300 compensation to the officer.

District Judge Alexandra Preston said Cunningham’s behaviour in the police station could only be described as disgusting.

The judge said: “You purposely urinated on the floor and then took off your knickers and threw them in the officer’s face.

“It was disgusting behaviour which, in my view, was designed to humiliate that officer. I have been told it caused her great distress and upset.”

Glenn Anderton, prosecuting, said officers had responded to a report of a domestic incident and found both parties heavily intoxicated.

Cunningham was arrested and taken to the police station where she was put in a holding cell.

He said: “She was abusive towards the officer and then said she needed to go to the toilet.

“The officer said she would take her shortly, at which point she squatted down and urinated on the cell floor.”

Cunningham was asked to remove her underwear before being given police issue clothing, at which point she threw her urine-soaked knickers at the officer, hitting her in the face.

“The officer said she was disgusted by what had happened and said it made her feel physically sick,” said Mr Anderton.

Janet Sime, mitigating, said her client deeply regretted her behaviour and accepted it had been disgusting.

“At the time she was in an abusive relationship and her family had cut her off because they didn’t like her partner,” said Miss Sime.

“That exacerbated her mental state and she felt isolated.”

She said there had been no offending since the incident in June and Cunningham had made changes in her life.

She had ended the relationship and was now getting on well with her family and was in a much better place.

“Everything in her life at the moment is positive and custody would take that away from her,” said Miss Sime. “She is terrified of going to prison.”