Woman used 'no teeth' defence after biting police officer at Asda

A woman once jailed for manslaughter kicked a police officer and tried to bite another after being suspected of pinching booze from a supermarket.

Claire Fowles, 43, hoofed a PC at Asda’s Boldon Colliery store but claimed she could not have caused injury to a second – because she has no teeth.

Moments earlier, Fowles, of Marlborough Road, Sulgrave, Washington, had been searched and found with a bottle of gin, a court heard.

In 2003, she was imprisoned for eight-and-a-half years at Norwich Crown Court over the death of a 14-year-old girl who she supplied with drugs.

When she committed the Asda attacks on Thursday, September 14, she was subject to a suspended prison sentence for carrying a knife in Sunderland city centre in August 2022.

At South Tyneside Magistrates’ Court, she pleaded guilty to charges of common assault of an emergency worker and assault by beating of an emergency worker.

She also admitted two charges of shop theft, relating to crimes at Boots’ Galleries outlet on Tuesday, December 19, and the following day at the Co-op’s branch in Victoria Road, both Washington,

District Judge Zoe Passfield jailed Fowles for a total of 10 weeks but suspended the sentence for 12 months after hearing she had quit booze and found accommodation.

But she warned any further offending or return to alcohol would see her put behind bars, telling her: “This is last chance saloon.”

Prosecutor Paul Anderson said: “Police were called to a suspected shoplifting at Asda. Security was holding a suspect who was found with a bottle of gin in her trousers.

“She was drunk and was shouting abuse. She was warned about her swearing and so she started replacing her swear words with ‘beeps’ but then began swearing.

“While she was being searched, she threatened officers and kicked one. She was restrained and taken to the floor.

“On the floor, she continued to be abusive and lunged towards a female officer whose hand she attempted to bite.

“Her mouth does touch the hand, but the officer pulled her hand away. When interviewed, she said she couldn’t have bitten the officer because she had no teeth.”

Angus Westgarth, defending, said: “She was convicted in 2003 of a very serious charge. There was no blemish on her record for the next 18 years, until 2021.

“The assaults themselves, I think we’ve all seen much more serious assaults. One officer says there was immediate pain, and the other was an attempted bite.

“She accepts that she did attempt to bite the officer. We’re looking at over a year ago. There are mental health issues, anxiety and depression.

“The main problems have been her drinking and her homelessness. The assaults are serious but would not normally attract a prison sentence.”

Judge Passfield jailed Fowles for eight weeks for each assault, to run concurrently, and to two weeks for each theft, to run concurrently to each other but consecutive to the assaults.

She ordered her to complete 25 rehabilitation days with the Probation Service and 120 days of alcohol abstinence.

Fowles was also fined £50 for an admitted breach of a post-sentence supervision order and must pay Boots £32 compensation.