A woman ran from the police and hit an officer in the face after her loose dog bit a man on the hand, a court heard.

Elizabeth Fisher-Simpson has been convicted of assaulting a police officer, resisting arrest as well as three charges relating to her dog.

Her address was given as having no fixed abode and the court heard she was living in her car when her dog bit the man.

Fisher-Simpson, aged 57, will be sentenced on December 18 after the preparation of a probation report.

Prosecutor Roger Kane told the court how, on October 11, police were called to Trollaby Lane in Union Mills after a man reported being bitten by a dog.

He told police he believed the dog’s owner was living in a car on Trollaby Lane.

He said he had seen the labrador cross named Blue, loose, running and barking.

The man said Fisher-Simpson had grabbed the dog but it broke loose and bit his hand.

A neighbour took him to hospital.

Police located Fisher-Simpson and found her in her car.

When they shone a torch into the car Fisher-Simpson was said to have ran from the vehicle and hit a police officer who was sitting in a police van on the side of the face.

She was then said to have struggled with police as she was arrested.

She told police she had been living in Trollaby Lane for three weeks. She said she had not seen Blue bite the man but saw him pointing and shaking his stick.

A previous court order had been made to keep the dog under proper control.

She admitted being the keeper of a dog which caused injury to a person and failing to comply with an order in respect of a dog,

Fisher-Simpson entered a basis of plea regarding the assault saying she was asleep in the car and had been confused by the shining light.

She said she had exited the car and struck the officer with a flailing arm with an open hand.

Meanwhile, Fisher-Simpson admitted causing unnecessary suffering to an animal.

The court heard the incident happened on July .

Police were called to Finch Hill Health Centre car park by members of the public concerned for a dog that had been left in a car. It was said to be extremely hot with temperatures at 24C.

Members of the public had opened the car doors and placed bowls of water inside for the dog, which was the same labrador cross.

Police tried to remove it from the car but it was said to be too stressed. A dog handler removed the dog an hour after police had been called.

A vet’s report said that, had the dog not been removed from the car, it was likely to have suffered significant harm which could have proved fatal.

She told police she was attending a church, claiming that she had only left the dog alone for a few minutes.

Mr Kane said any further applications by the prosecution regarding the dog would be considered before sentencing. No application for bail was made and Fisher-Simpson was remanded in custody.