A woman launched a shocking five-month crimewave in which she terrorised a family, caused chaos at a skatepark and stole two chocolate mousses from Poundland.

Rhiannon Thomas, from Hythe, also tried to kick a dog before punching its owner, swiped a wallet from an elderly man in a wheelchair and slapped a security guard.

But the 33-year-old's astonishing spree of offences across Folkestone and Ashford - often committed while drunk - is finally at an end, as she has now been locked up.

It began on June 9 in Guildhall Street, Folkestone, when Thomas spotted a couple with a dog near the Silver Screen cinema.

When she neared them, the pooch started barking at her - and she tried to kick it and then spat at it.

The dog's owners told her to leave their pet alone and they began to walk off.

But she followed them and started trying to kick it again.

The woman tried to stop Thomas attacking the animal - but the thug punched her in the face.

It was at this point the woman's partner had to restrain Thomas, who was still holding a bottle of booze in her hand.

Then just a few days later, on June 12, in Rendezvous Street, Folkestone, the multiple offender was again intoxicated when she started becoming aggressive with passers-by.

She was told by one man who was walking his dog to go away and not touch his pet.

But Thomas, who didn't seem to like being told to go away, reached into her bag and showed the man a kitchen knife she had inside.

At the time she was being monitored by CCTV operators in the town and the police were called. After locating Thomas, officers found the four-inch knife in her bag.

She told police during interview she had the knife as she was going to a friend's house to do some cooking.

But when officers made inquiries with the friend, he confirmed this was not the case.

Thomas, of St John Moore Avenue, was charged with various offences in relation to the incidents. These included possession of a knife, threatening behaviour, five counts of common assault, theft, five counts of shoplifting, two counts of failing to surrender to custody and committing an offence while on a conditional discharge as well as criminal damage.

She admitted the offences when she appeared at Folkestone Magistrates' Court in August and October and was due to be sentenced at the same court on the morning of November 23.

However, a warrant was issued for her arrest as she failed to show up. But later in the afternoon, she did turn up and was sentenced over all the matters.

The court heard in August she also terrorised a family out with their children in Dover Road, Folkestone, for no reason whatsoever.

She started telling them they were not allowed to walk in the direction they were going, raised a metal bar above her shoulders and started swaying it in their direction.

The family tried to walk away but Thomas continued shouting at them. As she got close they feared for their safety, so called the police and, as they did so, Thomas continued to barge into them.

Luckily no one was injured, but the court heard the family were left shaken by the incident and on edge when they went out, as the incident happened very close to their home.

During the same month she also caused trouble at the F51 skate park in Folkestone when she bizarrely started throwing a boxing glove around.

When she was asked to stop by staff, she pushed one with her hand and then picked up a plastic bin lid and threw it at another worker. The police were called and she was arrested at the scene.

Her crime spree continued on August 21, when she stole a £5 pair of heels from the Scope Charity Shop, in Cheriton, after picking them up and walking out of the shop without paying.

She also stole some sunglasses and a toothbrush from the Wilko store in Folkestone that month.

On another occasion, also in Folkestone, a man pushing his elderly father in a wheelchair passed Thomas and one of her friends.

However, moments later he realised his father, who had a wallet in his hand, no longer had it.

When he re-traced his steps he noticed Thomas and her friend were gone. After reporting the incident to police, she was located nearby and arrested as £80 was found in her leggings.

However, the wallet had contained £340 when it was taken.

Another incident at the Leas Cliff Hall saw Thomas swinging a metal bar and hitting toilet windows at the site. Then at the Carlton Hotel in the town she slapped a security guard around the face while she was drunk.

On one day in October she started stealing again from shops in Ashford, taking a bottle of Absolute Vodka costing £16.49 from B&M.

"These are violent offences and this is your second knife offence. Therefore we need to protect the public and we are giving you an immediate custodial sentence."

She also stole a pair of shoes costing £22 from Next and then swiped leggings, a toothbrush, a bra and two chocolate mousses valued at £14 from Poundland in the town.

Neil Sweeney, prosecuting, told the court Thomas has previous convictions for possession of an offensive weapon dating back to 2003 - and in July 2020 even threatened a man with a razor blade and swung it at him.

Mr Sweeney said she had been given a jail term for that offence and one of actual bodily harm and served a 14-and-a-half month sentence.

Magistrates were also told Thomas was vulnerable person as a result of periods of homelessness, had suffered a traumatic childhood and that previously when placed on court orders she failed to comply with them.

Chairman of the bench, Andrew Wickham said: "These are violent offences and this is your second knife offence. Therefore we need to protect the public and we are giving you an immediate custodial sentence."

Thomas was jailed for 12 months.