Woman in court for kicking cop during Gympie CBD tirade

She committed five offences in the Gympie CBD in one day.

A Gympie woman's violent tirade, in which she kicked a police officer, began on Mary St. FILE PHOTO. Picture: Renee Albrecht

A 24-year-old woman slapped another woman in the face and later kicked a police officer in the stomach during a tirade of physical and verbal abuse in Gympie CBD in May, a court has heard.

Desiree Purcell pleaded guilty to nine charges in Gympie Magistrates Court on Monday, including one each for common assault and assaulting a police officer.

The court heard Purcell's May 12 rampage, which she committed "while affected by an intoxicating substance", started when she approached a woman sitting in the driver's seat of a car in Mary St and asked her for money.

Purcell then called her a "mother----er" and a "c---" before leaning into the vehicle and striking her in the face.

The victim managed to ward off Purcell, who proceeded to aim several blows at her car, damaging the antenna.

Purcell left and soon approached a parked taxi in Smithfield St, asking the driver "what the f--- are you looking at" before smacking the taxi window while holding her mobile phone in her hand, smashing the windscreen.

The court heard she then approached a group of youths on River Rd and threatened to fight them, walked out onto the road and caused a car to stop before smacking it with her hands, told another man she'd "f---ing kill" him and punched yet another man's car.

Patrolling police soon arrived to arrest Purcell, who became "agitated and hostile". The officers placed her in handcuffs, searched her and attempted to help her into the police vehicle. She responded by kicking one of them in the stomach.

Purcell was taken to the Gympie watch house, but was arrested again the next day for using abusive language toward police while in a car on Little Channon St.

She entered guilty pleas for three counts of wilful damage, two counts of public nuisance, unlawfully using a motor vehicle without the consent of its owner and failing to appear in court.

Purcell had committed one of the wilful damage charges, as well as the unlawful use of a motor vehicle, prior to May 12.

Purcell's lawyer said his client had "very little memory" of her actions on the day due to her intoxicated state.

Magistrate Chris Callaghan noted Purcell's "pretty bad offending", but also her apparent rehabilitation following her arrest.

He sentenced her to 15 months' probation and 100 hours of community service to be completed over 12 months with convictions recorded.

Originally published as Woman in court for kicking cop during Gympie CBD tirade