BACKGROUND reports have been ordered into a mother-of-four who bit the finger of a police officer and slapped another constable during a disturbance outside her Borders home.

Police had to use incapacity spray to control 37-year-old Gillian Whigham, of Chirnside, during the early hours of November 15, 2020, Jedburgh Sheriff Court was told.

Joanna Waller, prosecuting, said police were on mobile patrol at around 9pm on November 14 and had cause to attend Glebe Place where Whigham lives.

They spoke to her and then decided they were no longer required and vacated the area.

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Ms Waller said: "At 2am the same officers had cause again to go back to Glebe Place and the accused kept going in and out of her property. They asked her to get back to her own property but she started to raise her arms towards the constable and proceeded to slap him in the face."

The fiscal said another officer tried to restrain her but she gripped her teeth around the upper section of his index finger and he was concerned she would puncture the skin.

Spray was used to incapacitate her but she refused to release the grip of the finger for some time.

Whigham was taken to Borders General Hospital due to the effects of the spray before being taken to Hawick Police Station.

The police officer received bruising to a finger nail.

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Defence lawyer Ross Dow said there had been a disturbance at a nearby house where Whigham's 16-year-old daughter was and she was concerned.

Whigham claimed one of the officers swore at her which triggered matters off.

She also claimed they were heavy handed with her when she suffered from a medical condition.

Mr Dow said: "She has not been in trouble for a long time."

Sheriff Kathrine Mackie said a financial penalty would not be appropriate due to the circumstances of the offence adding: "Her reaction was excessive to this issue."

Sentence was deferred until February 28 for the production of a Criminal Justice Social Work Report.