An 18-year-old Wolverhampton woman who was grieving the loss of her brother to cancer has been fined after admitting assaulting police officers and a paramedic. Erin Hudson, of Prestwood Road West, appeared at Walsall Magistrates' Court on Thursday, August 6, where she pleaded guilty to two counts of assaulting a constable in the execution of their duty and one count of assault by beating.
The court heard how Hudson, a lifeguard at a local leisure centre, had fled her home through a bedroom window in the early hours of August 10 last year. She was spotted by ambulance technician Kyle Cicconi, who was on his way to New Cross Hospital at about 1.30am.
Paramedic's concern leads to police call
Mr Cicconi saw Hudson 'walking on the footpath' and noticed she was being 'followed by a male', with two others behind him. He turned the ambulance around near Prestwood Road West to 'check on her safety', prosecutor Mr Saeed said. He heard Hudson 'screaming' so he activated his lights and sirens before approaching her.
Hudson shouted "f*** off and leave me alone", the court heard. Ambulance staff 'tried to engage' with her to 'make sure she was safe' but she started walking along the footpath. Mr Cicconi established that the other adults with Hudson were her then-boyfriend and her parents. He decided to stop Hudson, who 'shouted at him to get out of her way' before pushing him to the chest 'in an attempt to pass him'.
Mr Cicconi then 'requested police assistance' because of the 'erratic manner of the defendant's behaviour', Mr Saeed said.
Arrest and assault on officers
Two police officers arrived about 15 minutes later, with Hudson shouting "you f****** pigs" before walking away. Due to the 'impeding risk' Hudson posed to 'herself, road users and others', police decided to detain her. One officer tried to grab her arm to handcuff her as she was 'screaming and shouting', with the defendant 'repeatedly kicking out'. She called one officer a 'f****** white p****' and then dug her nails into his arms and hands, 'causing scratch marks', Mr Saeed said.
Officers managed to arrest Hudson and then ordered a police van to take her to custody. The court heard that Mr Cicconi was told by Hudson's boyfriend and parents that they had been out 'for a celebration party for a football team', where 'alcohol would have been consumed'. Hudson had left the venue 'shouting', while 'going in and out of the main road', Mr Saeed said. She was followed by her boyfriend and parents, who took her home but she 'climbed out of a bedroom window'.
In her police interview, Hudson accepted she pushed Mr Cicconi. Mr Saeed went on: "She accepts that she kicked out but she claimed the officers were using excessive force. She felt distressed, panicked."
Grief and its impact
Ms Sims, defending, said Hudson's brother died in 2024 following a diagnosis of sarcoma - a rare type of cancer. He passed away after a 10-month battle, leaving behind Hudson and her two other brothers. His death had a 'great impact' on the family, with Hudson still in school and studying for her GCSEs at the time. Ms Sims said: "She felt alone and isolated at the time of her brother's passing. Her brother passed while she was at college. She stopped going to college because of the impact of her brother's illness on the family."
Ms Sims added: "She had not dealt with her grief and her behaviour on that evening and the escalation in the incident is, in my submission, a direct result of not dealing with that grief and not coping with it." Hudson, who had recently turned 18, was not someone who 'usually had alcohol'. Her parents felt 'the use of force was excessive that day', Ms Sims added. She went on: "It is an extremely new process for them. They have not found themselves in this position before."
Since the incident, Hudson has struggled with anxiety, depression and panic attacks. The defendant has been a lifeguard at a local leisure centre for about three years and is valued 'highly'. Ms Sims said employers have paid for her to become a personal trainer, adding: "She has good prospects in work." The defendant also volunteers at a swimming club, while her family organise an annual football-related fundraiser in memory of her late brother. Hudson - who had no previous convictions - accepts that her behaviour and language used was 'not acceptable'.
Ms Sims told magistrates: "The offending is out of character, I submit. The incident is totally out of character. She has never been in this position before."
Hudson was ordered to pay a £467 fine, £300 costs and £100 compensation. Chair of the bench Jane Ruth Rashid said: "We don't think we will see you in court again - we certainly hope that we don't and we hope you get yourself sorted out."
