Woman jailed for a day was free in time for Christmas

Kirstine Amer’s verbal warning against the man’s property was overheard by a policeman who added it to her charge sheet.

Amer was arrested at around 9pm on Friday, December 20, after a rumpus at an address close to her home in Charles Street, Boldon Colliery.

She was detained at Sunderland’s Southwick police station on suspicion of causing criminal damage and the common assault of the same male.

The following day, while still under arrest, she made the threat against his property, South Tyneside Magistrates’ Court heard.

Amer spent around 60 hours in police custody before she appeared in the dock at 10.30am on Monday, December 23.

She faced three charges but the Crown Prosecution Service then dropped alleged matters of common assault and criminal damage.

At the start of her five-minute hearing, she pleaded guilty to a charge of making a threat to cause criminal damage which an officer feared would be carried out.

Prosecutor Gurjot Kaur said: “It’s a guilty plea at the first opportunity. It perhaps speaks for itself.

“Comments were made when she was in custody and while an officer was dealing with her. She said, ‘I’m going to put the windows in’.”

Amer has 45 previous convictions from 93 offences, the last for failing to comply with the requirements of a community order earlier this year.

Her other convictions include an offence of causing criminal damage in 2021, Ms Kaur revealed.

David Forrester, defending, told the hearing only that Amer had been held in custody since 9pm on Friday.

District Judge Zoe Passfield said Amer's period of detention exceeded the punishment for her admitted crime.

The judge jailed her for one day and ordered her immediate release from custody.

She told Amer: “You’ve been in custody since Friday. That’s more than enough for this.”

There were no court costs or victim surcharge.