Samantha Ruane and David Thomas jailed for York violence

Samantha Ruane, 36, struck out when police arrested her boyfriend David Darren Thomas, 49, York Magistrates' Court heard. 

She had put Thomas in a "difficult position" when they spent the evening drinking together, said district judge Adrian Lower. 

Today both are behind bars serving prison sentences for violence.

Robert Hamilton, prosecuting, said neighbours called out police to deal with a disturbance in Escrick Street off Fishergate at 3.30am on May 30.

When officers arrived in the street, they found the couple together despite Thomas being on bail and subject to a domestic violence prevention order (DVPO) - both of which forbid him to be with Ruane or contact her.

They arrested him, he resisted being put into a police van and then Ruane grabbed a woman officer’s hair and pulled her to the ground.

Thomas kicked the same officer in the back. He also kicked a second officer that Ruane also attacked and she attacked two more officers.

The officers suffered minor injuries.

Thomas, who represented himself, said: “She was my girlfriend. She was trying to protect me, I was trying to protect her.”

As he was taken away by dock officers, he tried to kiss Ruane but she turned her face away.

David Darren Thomas (Image: North Yorkshire Police)

District judge Adrian Lower told Ruane: “Officers are there to protect people, to detect crime and to keep the peace. They are not there to be victims of assault.”

The judge said Ruane must have known about the DVPO and probably knew about the bail conditions. By agreeing to spend the evening with Thomas "you put him in a difficult position. He clearly still has feelings for you," he told her. 

Samantha Ruane (Image: North Yorkshire Police)

Ruane, of Middleham Avenue, off Huntington Road, York, pleaded guilty to four charges of assaulting emergency workers. She was jailed for 16 weeks and ordered to pay £100 compensation to the woman officer she pulled to the ground and £50 compensation to the other three officers.  

For her, Lee-Anne Robins-Hicks said the neighbours had complained about noise coming from the house where the couple were and she had not complained to the police about Thomas being with her.

She couldn’t remember the incident because of the alcohol she had drunk that night.

She had reacted “emotionally” to Thomas’ arrest and was “thoroughly ashamed” of what she had done.  She was no longer in a relationship with Thomas.

Thomas, of Escrick Street, off Fishergate, York, pleaded guilty to two charges of assaulting emergency workers. He was jailed for 20 weeks and ordered to pay £100 compensation to the woman officer and £50 to the one other officer that he assaulted. He has a long list of previous convictions and, the court heard, had already served a prison sentence for breaching the DVPO when he was with Ruane.

He told the court: “I was very stupid. I was very much in love, I still am.”

He hadn’t been thinking straight that night because of the alcohol he had drunk.