A COUPLE who attacked three police officers after they were called to a ruckus at a house have been jailed.

Andrea Stuart drew blood after she smashed a cup over the back of Sergeant Andrew Phillips’ head as Shaun Bilton was being arrested outside his mum’s home.

The officer had to be taken to the A&E department at Newport’s Royal Gwent Hospital where he needed five stitches for a two-inch cut.

Bilton lashed out at PCs Leanne Gay and PC Daniel James during the fracas in Caerphilly last November.

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Prosecutor Laura Shepherd said: “As Mr Bilton was taken to the floor, he kicked PC Gay.

“He was being aggressive and argumentative as he was being arrested.

South Wales Argus:

Shaun Bilton

“Miss Stuart then hit the back of Sergeant Phillips’ head with a cup.”

Miss Shepherd played one of the officer’s body-worn footage which showed the unpleasant incident unfolding at just after midnight on November 6, 2020.

South Wales Argus:

Andrea Stuart

Cardiff Crown Court heard how Bilton had been drinking and was an unwelcome visitor at his mother’s home.

Bilton, 32, of Heol Cae Maen, Caerphilly, pleaded guilty to two counts of assaulting an emergency worker.

He also admitted criminal damage, after urinating in his cell at Ystrad Mynach police station following his arrest, and conditional discharge and community order breaches.

Stuart, 36, of Heol Tir Gibbon, Caerphilly, pleaded guilty to wounding.

Miss Shepherd told how Bilton had 34 previous convictions for 65 offences and was jailed last year for assaulting an emergency worker and arson.

Stuart had 35 previous convictions for 75 offences, mainly for shoplifting.

Julia Cox, representing Bilton, said her client suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder after he was the victim of a gas explosion 10 years ago.

She told how the defendant sustained burns to 90 per cent of his body and spent more than six months in hospital.

Miss Cox asked the court to take into account his guilty pleas.

Mark Davies, mitigating for Stuart, said she had shown remorse for what she had done.

He added that his client had struggled with heroin addiction and could be rehabilitated.

Judge DJ Hale told Bilton: “You have a persistent habit of getting drunk which has caused you so many problems, particularly when the police have to get involved.

“They are only doing their job. You started off being quite reasonable but then you lost it because you were so drunk.

“I have no option but to lock you up.”

To Stuart, the judge said: “You got involved out of loyalty to Bilton. The police officers weren’t being cruel to anybody.

“They were just doing their job in a relatively good-natured way.

“You hit one of them over the head causing an unpleasant injury.”

He jailed Bilton for 32 weeks and Stuart for 10 months.