A Peel teenager has been convicted of assaulting three police officers after she kicked and spat at them.

Teoni Jai Blanchard had to be restrained using Pava spray in custody after she had been arrested at Market Hill in Douglas.

In court, the 19-year-old pleaded guilty to disorderly behaviour on licensed premises and three counts of assaulting a police officer. A fifth charge, of common assault, was withdrawn by the prosecution.

She will be sentenced on October 24 in summary court.

Prosecuting advocate Barry Swain told the court how Blanchard, who lives at North View, was at the British Hotel on September 11 at 11pm.

She was said to have been involved in an altercation with another customer which ended with her punching a bouncer on the side of the face after she was asked to leave the pub.

This had brought the initial common assault charge but Mr Swain said that it had now been agreed that it was part and parcel of the disorderly behaviour charge.

Police were called but Blanchard had left the bar by the time they arrived. She was found at Market Hill and subsequently arrested.

However, as officers tried to handcuff her, she was said to have dropped herself to the ground, then kicked out, striking one cop on the thigh.

She was put in a police van but then stopped the officers from closing the door with her feet. As the cops tried to close the van door, Blanchard kicked one of them in the chest, causing him to stumble backwards.

She was taken to custody but refused to get out of the van and was said to be screaming, flailing her arms and kicking out. Blanchard was taken to a cell and leg restraints were put on her but she spat out with some landing on an officer’s leg.

After spending the night in a cell, she was interviewed and answered ‘no comment’ to all questions, but then said that a male in the British had touched her inappropriately and she had tried to kick him.

The court heard that the teenager has no previous convictions.

Mr Swain submitted that the case was suitable to remain in summary court for sentencing.

Defence advocate Paul Glover agreed that the case should stay in the lower court and pointed out that there had been no lasting injuries caused to the officers.

Mr Glover asked for a probation report to be prepared before sentencing.

Magistrates accepted summary court jurisdiction and ordered that the report consider all sentencing options, including custody.

Bail was granted.