A 42-YEAR-old woman has been given a community order after licking her hands and wiping them on the face of a member of staff at a Wetherspoons in Workington.

Debbie McDonald (also known as Turner) of Corporation Road, Workington, was asked to move along by a member of staff outside the Henry Bessemer for causing a nuisance on August 23 2020 before licking her hands and wiping them on the member of staff’s face, saying: "What pandemic?"

She also grabbed the employee's bodycam and shouted homophobic abuse at her, a court was told.

McDonald was found guilty of assault by beating and committing a public order offence by using threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour to cause harassment, alarm or distress.

She also pleaded guilty to criminal damage, involving a police van cage to the value of £100 belonging to Cumbria Constabulary.

In addition to this, McDonald pleaded guilty to being in possession of class B drugs after officers found a small amount of cannabis in her handbag when she was first arrested.

McDonald was sentenced at Workington Magistrates' Court and given an 18-month community order.

She must also carry out 300 hours of unpaid work, which was increased from 200 hours to reflect the homophobic abuse, and pay £100 compensation to the victim, £100 compensation for damaging the camera and £620 prosecution costs.

Senior Crown Prosecutor for CPS North West Pamela Fee said: “Debbie McDonald carried out an unprovoked verbal and physical attack on a member of staff after she asked her politely to move away from the area.

“Whilst highly intoxicated, McDonald shouted hateful abuse about the victim’s sexuality and wiped her saliva on her face, showing a complete disregard for the ongoing pandemic.

“The CPS and the courts take all hate crime offences extremely seriously which is reflected in the uplifted sentence she received.

“We will also continue to bring before the courts all those who behave in such a disgusting and potentially dangerous way during the Covid pandemic.”