A boozed-up thug who battered a trio of police officers has been told she is lucky to avoid jail.
Jacqueline Bruce, 44, was involved in a festive bar brawl at Roseangle’s Laings bar on December 19 last year.
Police rushed to the scene and detained Bruce.
However, instead of going quietly, Bruce proceeded to kick a female police officer in the face, repeatedly bite a male police officer on the arm and kick another in the body.
The 44-year-old, of Playfair Terrace, Dundee, admitted to the assaults against PC Jill Stewart, PC Ian McGregor and PC Andrew Kerry in a previous hearing at Dundee Sheriff Court.
PC McGregor, who was bitten by the criminal, faced a nervous wait to find out if her actions had led to him becoming infected before being given the all-clear.
Bruce was sentenced to carry out 300 hours of unpaid work and ordered to pay £1500 in compensation to the officers she assaulted.
Despite admitting that he was “very reluctant” to spare Bruce a custodial sentence , Sheriff Tom Hughes told her the fact that she had never previously been involved in trouble meant that she would avoid jail on this occasion.
He added: “This was absolutely outrageous behaviour and it will not be tolerated.”
Bruce had previously faced four other charges relating to several assaults in Laing’s bar.
One man who was walking past Laing’s at the time of the alleged incidents said there was a high police presence in the area.
He said: “It was quite busy, a lot of people were on the street, and every pub had loads of people outside it.
“I saw two police cars on the road outside Laings and two officers standing in the doorway speaking to a bouncer.
“They seemed quite animated.I didn’t really know what was going on but I thought there must have been some trouble.
“Then suddenly, two police vans came flying up from the town centre with their blue lights and sirens on.”