Woman headbutted officer after OAP mum Tasered by police

Angela Blaney lashed out in violence after her OAP mum was left 'significantly injured' and in need of emergency hospital treatment.

Blaney - who had been charged with placing her mother in a state of fear and alarm - was told by a sheriff that her attack on police was 'completely unacceptable'.

The Taser incident - which rendered the pensioner incapacitated - was referred to Police Investigations and Review Commissioner (PIRC) and has led to a report being sent to the procurator fiscal.

Police had been called to an address out of concern for Blaney, 44, following a report that she'd shouted, swore, threatened and demanded money from her elderly mother whilst in possession of a knife.

Blaney struck a female officer on the nose and derided her accent during the disturbance at her parent's property on the Port's Berwick Road.

A sentencing hearing was told that the innocent OAP ‘suffered significant injury’ and was rushed to hospital after being left incapacitated when the device was discharged.

The elderly woman reported the incident, claiming she was the victim of an unlawful attack, and the PIRC probe swung into operation.

A sentencing hearing at Greenock Sheriff Court was told that police attended the address due to ‘concerns for the welfare’ of Blaney, and she was later taken into custody following a ‘disturbance’.

Greenock Sheriff Court (Image: newsquest)

Procurator fiscal depute Shaun Alexander said: “As the accused was being handcuffed, she attempted to headbutt one of the officers, making contact with her nose.

“Furthermore, she continued to shout at the officers, mocking the accent of one PC, making flippant remarks and saying she couldn’t understand her accent.

“The accused’s mother, who was 73 at the time, was Tasered by police during this incident.

"She suffered significant injury.”

Defence solicitor Paul Cook said the offences were committed on the anniversary of the passing of Blaney’s father – and a day after her birthday.

The lawyer added that she was in an ‘extremely low mood’ at the time.

Mr Cook said: “During the incident, her mother was Tasered and that exacerbated matters and led her to behave in the manner which she did.

Angela Blaney's elderly mother was Tasered by police

“She accepts that her behaviour was completely unacceptable but does maintain that she did struggle to understand the accent of the police officer.”

Blaney was spared a jail term and placed on a ten-week night-time curfew instead. She will also be under social work supervision for 12 months.

Sheriff Anthony McGeehan told her: “Notwithstanding these circumstances, the fact is that police attended out of concern for your welfare.

“That one of them was assaulted by you is completely unacceptable.”

A PIRC spokesperson said: “We investigated an allegation of assault made by a 73-year-old woman in Port Glasgow on February 28, 2023 and submitted a report to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) on June 21 of that same year.”

They added that their reports to the COPFS are currently confidential for legal reasons.