Two charges of breaching a domestic abuse protection notice, against a 61-year-old woman, have been dismissed.

Joanna Dean’s advocate Paul Rodgers said she’d spent nearly eight weeks in custody.

She’d denied the breaches, with trial dates set, but was unable to put forward an acceptable bail address.

Dean appeared in court recently, pleading guilty to driving with an expired licence.

Magistrates gave her an absolute discharge for that offence, after taking into account the time she’d spent in custody.

Mr Rodgers said the domestic abuse legislation was very new, and that prior to issuing notices, police are required to obtain the opinion of the alleged victim.

He said that the police had not done so in this case.