A POOLE woman has been spared an immediate prison term for a series of assault and theft offences.

Laura Jane Francis, 43, was committed to prison for six months, suspended 12 months, by a judge at Poole Magistrates' Court on May 14.

This suspended sentence involved a six-month drug rehabilitation requirement and up to 30 days rehabilitation activity requirement with the probation service.

Francis, whose address was given as Longfleet Road, Poole, had pleaded guilty to four counts of theft, three charges of assault by beating, including one against a police officer, and breaches of conditional discharge and community orders.

The defendant stole £300 worth of meat and assaulted a man at Damory Garage in Salisbury Road, Blandford Forum on November 7 last year.

On the same day she also took £180 worth of meat and assaulted a woman at Co-op in Cookswell, Shillingstone.

A week later she stole wine and steaks to the value of £60 from the BP Garage in Downton Road, Salisbury.

Police Constable Grace Butler was assaulted by Francis on December 18, 2020, at St Michael's Church in Blandford Road, Poole.

Steaks, iPhone chargers, coffee and washing gels worth a total of £200 were stolen from One Stop in Dales Drive, Colehill, on March 31.

The conditional discharge order which was breached had been issued on January 20 for two offences of shoplifting, while the community order was made on February 19 for four thefts.

District Judge Stephen Nicholls instructed Francis to pay a total of £440 compensation to her victims.

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