A woman who bit and racially abused white police officers while claiming to have a firearm because one of them said “all lives matter” has been spared from prison.
Four white police officers attended the address of 20-year-old Sicily Hunston in Wythenshawe, Manchester, after reports that she was brandishing a blade in a drunken state, according to a Sun court report.
“Police attended a property in the belief the defendant was in possession of a knife,” prosecutor Peter Conroy explained to the court.
”She was in a bedroom on the ground floor and there were three children present when officers attended,” he continued.
”She had a bottle of alcohol in her hand and she was clearly intoxicated. She was also quite angry and she stated there were knives and meat cleavers in the room and she also said she was in possession of a gun.
“One of the officers then approached the defendant and said he needed to search her. But at this point, the defendant became very aggressive and it took several officers to apprehend her.
“One was forced to draw his taser and it was then that the defendant started screaming and shouting abuse.
“The defendant then went to bite the arm of the officer and managed to put her teeth on his forearm.
“As a result, the officer pulled her head down with great difficulty and she constantly shouted racial abuse when being arrested and whilst getting into the police van and whilst in the van. A knife was found in her waistcoat when searched.
“In interview, she admitted assaulting the police officer and biting the officer but she said she did this because the officer had said to her ‘All Lives Matter’ when she had previously been shouting ‘Black Lives Matter’,” the prosecutor explained.
Hunston’s defence claimed they “[did] not seek to justify her behaviour” with reference to an officer’s use of the phrase “all lives matter”, but stressed it nevertheless.
“[S]he said ‘Black Lives Matter’ and the officer in response said ‘All Lives Matter’ which antagonised her,” said defence lawyer Matthew Wallace, accusing the officer in question — one of the victims of the defendant’s racism and violence — of doing “an ignorant thing”.
Whether or not the sentencing judge, but Hunston, who confessed to assault on an emergency worker and racially aggravated harassment, was allowed to walk out of the court a free woman, with a requirement to pay the officer she bit just £50 in compensation.
She was charged £180 in costs and surcharges and told she would be required to fulfil a 12-month community order.
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