A 54-year-old woman who racially abused a young police officer has been ordered to pay compensation.
Bath Magistrates’ Court
Lisa Jarvis, of Hungerford Road in Brislington, appeared at Bath Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday 18th February to admit that at Keynsham Police Centre on 25th November last year, she used threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour that was racially aggravated, causing a police constable harassment, alarm or distress.
While undergoing a search in custody, Jarvis had said she did not want the police officer’s brown skin touching her.
A victim impact statement was read to the court by prosecutor Maree Doyle, in which the police officer questioned whether her career would be filled with similar racist comments. She spoke of the “hate” in Jarvis’s eyes and face.
Duty solicitor Mark O’Donnell, representing Jarvis, said she’d had problems with alcohol for many years and more recently had tried to get to grips with it.
She had relapsed due to personal issues, with alcohol being her “fallback position”.
He said Jarvis could not remember uttering those words to the police officer, but accepted that she had and apologised.
Magistrates said it was a “serious matter” which had impacted the young police officer. They ordered Jarvis to pay her £250 in compensation.
A community order that had been in place for a previous offence was revoked and magistrates gave Jarvis a new 12-month community order with 10 rehabilitation activity requirement (RAR) days.
They also fined her £120 and ordered her to pay a £114 court surcharge and £85 prosecution costs. The amount she owes will be consolidated with other fines.
