A WOMAN told a court she was “utterly embarrassed and bewildered” by her actions - after she attacked a 14-year-old girl and two police officers.

Wendy Fulthorpe, 53, believes a combination of the menopause, the wrong medication and three glasses of beer led to the incident outside Wigginton Village Stores.

She was given a community order with 200 hours’ unpaid work and ordered to pay £150 compensation to the girl and £100 each to the two officers.

Fulthorpe told York Magistrates’ Court she had spent a happy time with a friend in the hours leading up to the attack on May 12.

She had drunk three pints of beer in a short period of time.

After the friend left she had felt fine one moment and then all she could remember was confusion. At the time, she had had severe menopausal symptoms, for which she was receiving medication.

“I am not excusing what I did, but only explaining how it can change your personality,” she said. "I have never hit anyone in my life. I feel utterly embarrassed and bewildered that I can do such a thing.

“Due to this terrible situation I have decided to abstain from drink altogether.”

She said she wanted to send a letter of apology to the girl and apologised to the police officers.

She handed in a letter from her doctor, saying he had changed her medication.

Fulthorpe, of Minster View, Wigginton, pleaded guilty to assaulting the girl and assaulting two emergency workers.

Katherine Smith, prosecuting, said Fulthorpe went up to the girl who was sitting outside the shop with some friends.

She said she was drunk and that she would put her “lights out”.

When the girl said she was 14, Fulthorpe said: “I don’t care.”

She grabbed the teenager round the neck and pulled her hair outside Wigginton Village Store. Two off-duty police officers went to the girl’s help. She kicked one of them several times on the legs and tried to kick the girl, the court heard.

When an on-duty police officer arrived and arrested her, she kicked him.