A CONVICTED benefits fraudster was jailed after she kicked a policeman in the knee and threatened to knock out another one in a drunken rage.

By assaulting the officer, Tanya Palmer was also in breach of a suspended sentence imposed last year for swindling the taxpayer out of nearly £24,000.

The 30-year-old, from Newport, attacked the police constable as he and colleagues were answering reports of a “disturbance” where she lived on Chepstow Road.

READ MORE: Benefits cheat who conned taxpayer out of almost £24,000 spared immediate jail sentence

The assault, which took place last month at around 11pm at night, was captured on the injured officer’s body-cam and the footage played in court.

Prosecutor John Warren said police went to Palmer’s home in response to a 999 call.

The ruckus initially was “a petty family squabble” involving her and her mother Yvonne Palmer who was trying to retrieve her bag with medication inside.

The defendant was found hiding in the garden and the missing item was found at her boyfriend’s house next door.

Newport Crown Court heard how Palmer then became agitated over a lost key and started swearing at the constables.

Mr Warren said: “The defendant became vocal towards the police officers, shouting at them.

“She was told to calm down and go back inside her house. The defendant said, ‘I want my keys now.’

“The police explained than neither they nor her mother had the keys.”

Palmer, Judge Tracey Lloyd-Clarke was told, was “in an intoxicated condition and asked to moderate her behaviour” before she was arrested for breach of the peace.

Mr Warren continued: “When she was being escorted to a police vehicle, the defendant lashed out one officer with her leg, kicking him in the kneecap, causing him a sharp pain and to yell out in pain.

“She told another officer she would knock him, saying, ‘I swear I will knock you out!’”

The defendant also screamed at the top of her voice and threatened to make a complaint about one officer to their sergeant.

Palmer admitted assaulting an emergency worker.

The court was told that last September, she was jailed for eight months, suspended for two years, and ordered to undertake a 12-day rehabilitation activity requirement and 150 hours of unpaid work.

That related to her conning the state out of £23,934.47 after falsely claiming she was the main carer for her three children between 2012 and 2017.

Palmer was convicted of a similar offence in 2014 when she was sentenced to a community order for income support and housing benefit overpayments of £5,500.

Julia Cox, mitigating, told the court her client was addicted to heroin in the past.

She added: “The defendant has no previous convictions for violence. She panicked. She suffers from learning difficulties.

“Thankfully, there was no lasting damage to the police officer.”

Judge Lloyd-Clarke told Palmer: “You were drunk, abusive and violent to the police.

“The officers were calm, polite and proper in their behaviour to you.”

She jailed her for a total of four months – two months for the assault and two months for being in breach of the prison suspended sentence.

Palmer must also pay a victim surcharge upon her release from custody.