Gosport women who attacked police officers in anti-migrant protest learn their fates in court

A woman who sprayed a “noxious substance” at a police officer - and one who punched a constable - during illegal migrant protests have both been spared jail.

The demonstration on the evening of September 22 happened after activist Daniel Thomas, who goes by the name Danny Tommo, had filmed himself going out to sea to witness a dinghy carrying dozens of migrants.

James Kellam, prosecuting, told Portsmouth Crown Court that protesters had gathered in Haslar Road and the attacks by the two defendants happened as police attempted to disperse the crowds and move them to a designated area for demonstration.

He said Shannon Dodds, 32, had attended the protest wearing a beanie hat, a face covering and sunglasses in a bid to disguise herself as she stood with arms crossed in front of the police line, refusing to move.

The prosecutor said that after she was pushed by officers in an attempt to move her on, she sprayed a “Walk Easy personal safety repellent” which went into the faces of two constables.

Mr Kellam said: “It must have been extremely alarming not knowing what has been sprayed in their faces for these two officers.”

He added that the effects had been “short-lived” after they had washed their faces numerous times. Mr Kellam said Sally Pearson, 31, threw a punch at an officer’s face but hit his hand which he had raised in defence, causing “presumed ligament damage” which forced him to be off work for three weeks.

He said the mother-of-three then shouted racial abuse at another officer as they attempted to restrain her.

Judge James Newton-Price KC said: “The officer said it was a punch of substantial force, 10 on a scale of 10. It’s more than minor physical harm or distress if he suffered some ligament damage.”

Dodds, of Gosport, was given a 10-month prison sentence suspended for 18 months having pleaded guilty to two counts of assault of an emergency worker by spraying the repellent spray in their faces.

She was also ordered to carry out 50 hours of unpaid work and given a probation supervision order.

James Wing, defending, said Dodds had a drinking problem and suffered from “complex PTSD” and carried the spray “for personal protection” and had not brought it to the protest with the intention of attacking anyone.

Sentencing her, Judge Newton-Price said: “You expressed strong feelings about the migrant issue having read online information spread by anti-migrants.

“You need to be careful about believing everything you read online and getting stirred up by it.”

Pearson, of Gosport, was handed an eight-month prison sentence suspended for 12 months having pleaded guilty to assault by beating of a police officer and racially aggravated abuse of another officer.

She was also given a probation supervision order and told to complete 100 hours of unpaid work.

Mr Wing said Pearson, who is a full-time carer for her partner, was “deeply remorseful” and had apologised for her actions.

He said: “Whilst they are in a charged atmosphere of a sort she has not experienced before, she reacted badly in a moment of madness to being pushed by a police officers.

“She is not a prize fighter, she is not a tall muscular man, so the amount of force that she can generate has to be taken into account.”

Sentencing Pearson, the judge said: “Police officers were deployed and their job was to ensure public safety which is not an easy task when you have a large crowd of people who are worked up.

“A police line was set up across the road and there was a dispersal order in place so the police were acting entirely in their legitimate authority and power to disperse the crowd.

“Police officers are doing a public duty, they do not deserve to be insulted in that way and not in this unpleasant racial way and they do not deserve to have punches aimed at their faces.”