A mother and daughter struggled with bar staff at a Hilltown pub after being refused further alcohol at a relative’s funeral wake.
Kali Walsh, 22 and her mother Muriel Cochrane, 42, were asked to leave the Hill bar after drinking at the wake of Walsh’s grandfather in September 2022.
Walsh had earlier that year assaulted two police sergeants outside Pout nightclub, digging her nails into the back of one of the officer’s hands and drawing blood.
A sheriff told Walsh, who was on bail at the time on another matter and had defaulted on another community payback order, she was avoiding a jail sentence only because of her age.
Wake attack
The joint offence happened in the early hours of September 20 2022, at the Hill bar, Hilltown, Dundee Sheriff Court was told by fiscal depute Lee Corr.
Cochrane and Walsh had been at the funeral and wake of Walsh’s grandfather, Cochrane’s ex-husband’s father.
Mr Corr said an employee there, known to the pair, refused to serve Walsh further alcohol at around 12.30am.
She began to shout and swear and was asked to leave.
Cochrane was also told to go and the worker tried to usher the pair outside.
Both grabbed hold of her and a struggle ensued, which eventually involved other patrons and police were called.
Both admitted acting in a threatening and abusive manner.
Police assault
Mr Corr continued: “On May 15 2022, Walsh was escorted from the nightclub on St Andrews Street.
“She was seen behaving erratically by Sergeants Dolan and Black.
“She was being disruptive on the street.
“She was handcuffed. She attempted to strike Sergeant Black on the face.
“Sergeant Dolan tried to put Walsh’s hand up placing her hand on her shoulder.
“While she did so, Walsh dug her nails into the back of Sergeant Dolan’s hand.
“It caused cuts and blood on the back of her hand.
“Walsh was thereafter restrained and put on the ground, before being taken to Bell Street police HQ.”
Prison warning
Defence solicitor Anika Jethwa, in mitigation for Walsh, said: “She is 22, she is on a 15-month supervision order. There has been some issues with compliance.
“She is a young offender.
“She deals with her issues by drinking too much.”
Sheriff John MacRitchie, replied: “Anyone who injures a police officer needs to be deterred.
“I can see why there might to be a need for help but there needs to be a deterrent – my starting point is to send them to prison.
“I have done it numerous times in the past and I will do it again in future.
“I will do my utmost to defend those serving our communities.
“I do have to balance that with sentencing guidelines for young persons.
“Any decision I make must balance out chance of rehabilitation with punishment.
“Because I am bound by the guidelines I am prepared to make you – with some hesitancy – subject to a high tariff, structured deferred sentence.
“It is your call to take the chance given to you.”
‘Give a better example’
Addressing Walsh’s mother and ordering her to be of good behaviour, Sheriff MacRitchie said: “I do appreciate the background, but I have to balance that with the fact you should know better.
“You should give a better example to your daughter.
“I will give you a chance to show that this was just a blip, that this offence was just a one-off.
“You have not offended since 2013.
“Try and set a better example, so neither of you appear before the court again on these matters.”
Walsh, of Hindmarsh Avenue, and Cochrane, of Provost Road, will return to court for sentencing on August 15.
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