A chief constable's daughter who assaulted two officers in her father's force after drinking a litre of strong cider was sentenced to 150 hours' community service yesterday.
Frances Whitehouse, 18, of Brunswick Square, Hove, the daughter of Sussex Chief Constable, Paul, was convicted last month of two counts of assault on police and one of using threatening or abusive words or behaviour. Brighton Magistrates Court heard how Whitehouse, who denied all three charges, pushed and swore at one officer and kicked another, injuring his neck, after they intervened in a row between her and her boyfriend.
Sentencing her to community service and ordering her to pay #400 compensation to the injured officer and #250 costs, Stipendiary Magistrate, James Shrimpton, said: ''I have to tell you that these offences are serious enough for a community penalty.
''People very often get jailed for kicking and pushing police officers, and rightly so.''
During Whitehouse's one-day trial, the court was told she assaulted Pc Paul Ashman and swore at him after he approached and asked if she was all right while she argued with her boyfriend in a Brighton street on Bank Holiday Monday, April 5.
After being handcuffed, she was driven to Brighton police station but on the way lashed out with her foot at Pc Anthony Spalding, who was driving, kicking him on the left side of the face and neck.
A Sussex Police spokesman later said that Mr Whitehouse did not want to speak about his daughter's conviction as it was a personal, rather than professional, matter.
He said: ''He was at the court today as the father of a defendant, rather than as a chief constable. The case is being treated as a private family matter.''
Whitehouse's boyfriend, Lloyd Smith, told the court the pair had each drunk four to five pints of White Lightning cider at a friend's home before the incident, which happened as they made their way back to their own address at about 9pm. Whitehouse declined to give evidence herself during the trial.
Mr John Baggs, defending, said Whitehouse was deeply remorseful for her actions and was unlikely ever to commit an offence again. After the 30-minute hearing, Whitehouse and her father left the court arm in arm, but declined to comment on the outcome.
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