Pregnant woman fined for spate of violence (From Swindon Advertiser)

Pregnant woman fined for spate of violence

9:35am Friday 10th August 2012 in News

A YOUNG woman who was involved in a spate of violence after a fair almost two years ago has been fined £50 for failing to complete her community sentence.

Katrina Thomas was in a group of teenagers who wreaked havoc in West Swindon, in September 2010, committing a series of robberies and assaults. She admitted assaulting three younger girls and was put on a one-year community order after a judge heard she had been on a curfew for four months awaiting sentence.

Now aged 20, and three months pregnant, she has appeared back before the court where she admitted breaching the sentence.

She failed to turn up to two appointments and as a result had not completed the conflict resolution programme. But because the order had finished a judge could not make it longer so instead fined her £50, telling her to pay it from her benefits at £10 every two weeks.

Thomas, of Dixon Street, admitted breaching the order imposed for three offences of common assault.

Michael Hall, defending, said his client had completed the alcohol awareness course and was now not drinking as she is pregnant.

Although she had been in work he said she was currently in receipt of benefits of £56 a week.

Judge Douglas Field, sitting at Swindon Crown Court, imposed the fine after hearing she did not have a stable address to start a curfew.