Lorene Duggan: Naked woman ‘thumped a copper’ after shower at Bendigo police station

A Bendigo woman “thumped a copper” while she was naked and in custody, a court has heard.

A naked woman “thumped a copper” while being dragged to her cell in Bendigo’s watch-house, a court has heard.

Lorene Duggan appeared in Bendigo Magistrates’ Court to plead guilty to assaulting a police officer on June 20, last year.

The court heard the 49-year-old was taken to Bendigo Police Station for other matters and was suffering a mental health episode in the cells.

She kept other prisoners awake all night as she yelled and screamed and stuffed her clothing, blankets and even her slippers into the toilet.

The next morning, custody officers spoke to Duggan and let her shower while they prepared a clean cell.

Duggan went into the shower and insisted on leaving the doors open at 8am.

About 25 minutes later the officers returned and asked Duggan to leave.

She refused to turn the water off and get out, acting oddly, verbally abusing and arguing with the officers.

One officer entered the shower cell to turn the water off, while another helped Duggan off the floor and continued to hold her arm.

Officers tried to get the still wet 49-year-old to head to her new cell, but she held her right arm against the edge of the doorway to resist leaving the shower.

Officers took hold of her wrist and took her towards her cell as Duggan continued to resist.

Duggan slipped to the ground and thew her right arm up, hitting a female officer in the face.

The hit caused the female officer’s safety glasses to scrape against the bridge of her nose and forehead, leaving her with minor bleeding from the 3cm scratch.

The naked woman was immediately taken to the ground, placed in handcuffs and escorted to her cell.

Her lawyer Greg Johnstone said it was clear Duggan was suffering from a mental health episode, and spent much of the night of her arrest in the foetal position.

Mr Johnstone said Duggan had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.

Magistrate Russell Kelly said it was obvious the 49-year-old woman was unwell at the time.

“The whole thing is embarrassing and humiliating really,” Mr Kelly said.

“When you did slip you ended up thumping a copper.

“The police officer doesn’t go to work expecting that.

“You’re a better person than that.”

On Wednesday July 7 Duggan pleaded guilty to assaulting an emergency worker, recklessly causing injury, and acting in a manner that threatened the good order of a police goal.

The matter which led to Duggan being in custody has already been resolved.

The 49-year-old was convicted and fined $500.