A VIOLENT drunk tried to mug a woman of her handbag before she kicked the police officer who came to her arrest her in the groin.

Lisa Furmedge was screaming abuse at McDonald’s staff in Newport before carrying out the attempted robbery on her victim who was on her way to work.

Prosecutor Paul Hewitt said Marie Crouch was attacked in the city centre just before 7am as she tried to buy an early morning coffee.

He told Cardiff Crown Court: “The defendant was banging on the door of McDonald’s and shouting, ‘When are you opening? You had better open the door!’

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“She was refused entry. She then picked up a Budweiser can and threw it at the door. The manager called the police.”

Mr Hewitt added: “Marie Crouch wanted to buy a coffee as she was making her way to work.

“The defendant walked up to her and said, ‘Sorry about this love’, and yanked her handbag from her breaking the zip.

“There was a struggle and the defendant was completely unsuccessful in getting the £89 bag.

“Staff working at Greggs beckoned the victim over and let her into the store for safety because they were worried about her.

“PC Bonnie Grant saw the defendant outside McDonald’s in a drunken state and unsteady on her feet.”

Mr Hewitt said when the police officer spoke to Furmedge she said: “Where’s my vodka before pointing to a bottle of vodka on the floor.”

The defendant was placed in the back of the police car but tried to climb into the front.

When PC Grant was trying to handcuff Furmedge she kicked the officer in the groin.

The 43-year-old defendant, of Alexandra Road, Newport, admitted attempted robbery, assaulting an emergency worker and public disorder on August 4.

She has 92 previous convictions for 189 offences, including grievous bodily harm, actual bodily harm, assaulting police officers and 79 for theft.

Stuart John, representing Furmedge, said: “It was her friend’s birthday and she was very drunk.

“She was so drunk she has little or no recollection of that night. She has a long ingrained problem with alcohol.”

He asked the court to give his client full credit for her early guilty pleas.

Judge Tracey Lloyd-Clarke told the defendant: “People were up and about in the early morning on their way to work.

“You saw a lady and you tried to help yourself to her handbag. You booted the officer, her words, to the groin as she tried to handcuff you.

“You were then very abusive and threatening to her and, referring to her male colleague, you said: ‘I respect him but I don’t respect you. I would never hit a woman but I would kick you through the window.”

Furmedge was jailed for 22 months.