Hairdresser who kicked police officer trying to arrest her for driving home after downing Tequila and lager during seven-hour drinking binge is spared jail

Hairdresser who kicked police officer during arrest for drunk driving avoids prison sentence

Katie Bradsell, 35, was given a community order instead of jail time after she attacked two police officers during a 12-month sentence. The incident occurred when she refused to comply with a breath test and physically assaulted officers while attempting to leave her home in Saughall, Cheshire.

Bradsell had been at her local pub during a quiz night in January, consuming eight pints of lager and tequila over a seven-hour drinking session. Despite being offered multiple rides by bar staff and regulars, she opted to drive her Audi the 1.1-mile route home.

The pub owner, Sue Summers, called the police after Bradsell claimed her house was “only down the road.” By the time she left, the bar was closed, and the police arrived at her residence to find the car parked in her driveway. When officers asked for a breath sample, Bradsell resisted and kicked one officer in the leg, later striking a door in the station and targeting another officer.

Conviction and sentence details

At Chester Magistrates Court, Bradsell admitted to failing to provide a breath sample and two counts of assaulting emergency workers. She received a 12-month community order, which includes 20 rehabilitation activity days and a three-month alcohol treatment program. Additionally, she was ordered to pay £75 compensation to each officer and £199 in court costs.

“She was medicated to some extent but still struggled to get support from her GP,” said defence solicitor Catherine Higham, who argued Bradsell had mental health challenges and used alcohol as a coping mechanism.

During the trial, prosecutor Lisa McGuire explained that Bradsell had been at the Saughall Arms pub from 3pm to 10pm. The landlady reported she had drunk “eight pints of lager and a shot of alcohol.” Despite warnings, Bradsell insisted on driving, prompting the police response.

“Miss Bradsell then indicated her intention to leave in her car, even though she was intoxicated,” McGuire stated. “People around her offered lifts, but she was determined to drive home, saying it was ‘only down the road’.”

Bradsell also has a history of convictions, including racially aggravated harassment in 2023 and an assault on an emergency worker in 2020. The court acknowledged her mental health struggles, though it emphasized that alcohol consumption worsened her condition.