A woman who lashed out at police officers after being arrested for being drunk and disorderly told a magistrates court she was the ‘nicest person’, apart from when she had been drinking.

Olivia Mattock, 18, was in Skipton on January 17 to attend a funeral and was arrested at The Craven Hotel, Craven Street after police were notified of a problem and because she refused to calm down for officers, Skipton Magistrates Court heard.

She was taken to Harrogate Police Station where she assaulted three separate women police officers by punching and kicking, and also by using her nails.

In CCTV footage, shown in court, Mattock is seen swinging a punch at PC Watson at the custody desk before also kicking her, and then going on to assault two other officers, PC Jobling and PC Harder.

Mattock can also be heard in the footage pleading with the officers to stop and to leave her alone as they struggle to calm her down.

Prosecuting, Nadine Clough, said PC Watson had asked Mattock to take her hands out of her pockets at the custody desk.

After that request, the 18-year-old had hit the officer in the face, the court was told.

Other officers had then attempted to calm Mattock down, and while trying to remove her ear-rings, she had kicked out again.

She was taken screaming and struggling to the cells where she dug her nails into PC Harden’s arm.

She also kicked PC Joblin in the leg.

Mattock, who admitted being drunk and disorderly and also three separate charges of the assault by beating of an emergency worker, asked for the CCTV footage not to be shown in court.

She described the footage as ‘disturbing’ and asked magistrates if she would be sent to prison.

She added: “I would never do anything like that unless I am drunk.

"I am the nicest person.”

The court was told in mitigation that Mattock had originally lived in Skipton, but had lived in Lancashire under the care of the local authority since she was a teenager.

She had returned to the town for a funeral, had drunk to excess and was ‘appalled and disgusted’ by her conduct. Fortunately, all of the police officers had suffered just minor injuries, the court was told.

Magistrates told Mattock that they agreed with her and that they too found the CCTV footage disturbing and that they were adjourning sentencing for reports with an indication from them of a community sentence, and not prison, although that would be up to the sentencing magistrates in two weeks time.

Mattock, of Water Street, Accrington, is due back at the Skipton court on February 28 for sentencing.