A Dover woman who arrived at court with a pet dog called Hope was told she had no hope of keeping her freedom.

Abbie Thompson, 26, tied up the animal outside Canterbury Crown Court when she was late for a hearing on her breach of a court order.

A judge had planned to remand her in custody overnight - but couldn’t because the mongrel had no one to take care of him.

Thompson, of Toronto Close, then returned to the court without Hope... and was promptly jailed for eight months for repeatedly missing her appointments with probation officers.

She had been given a 12-month suspended jail sentence "as a last chance" for a racially aggravated breach of the peace when she screamed abuse at a shopkeeper.

But the court heard she had "a fairly substantial" list of previous convictions – and had been warned that if she didn’t co-operate with probation officers then the suspended sentence would be activated.

Claire Cooper, defending, said Thompson admitted having an alcohol problem and drinking " because she gets bored".

She said Thompson – who was caring for her terminally ill mother – was "erratic" with her attendances at probation.

But Judge James O’Mahony told her she had been "foul-mouthed and abusive" towards probation staff who were doing "their utmost to help her".

"It seems to me that everyone has gone the extra mile for you and people must realise that the court means business," he said.