A drunk who lashed out at police - kicking one officer in the groin and stamping on another’s foot - has narrowly avoided jail.

Lucy Symes-Wood admitted a string of offences committed while intoxicated which started in August when she stole jars of coffee from a Borough Green supermarket.

The 34-year-old, who lost her twin sister to alcohol misuse, continued to offend in the following months and during drunken episodes in October and December, she also abused people and attacked the officers.

Symes-Wood, of Laurie Close, Sevenoaks, pleaded guilty to 13 offences when she appeared in court on various dates this year.

She returned to the town’s magistrates’ court on December 18 to be sentenced after a pre-sentencing report was ordered to be carried out.

Magistrates heard her offending started on August 15, when she swiped two jars of coffee worth £15 from the Sainsbury’s local store in Borough Green.

They were also told she assaulted a woman and was drunk and disorderly in Grovesnor Road, Tunbridge Wells, on October 5.

She later stole a bottle of wine costing £2.90 from the Tesco Express store in the town on October 9 and then smashed it.

She was also drunk and disorderly on that day, again in Grosvenor Road.

The bench also heard she had been given bail conditions to stay out of certain areas of Tunbridge Wells and not be found drunk.

But she breached them three times, including on October 16 when she caused a disturbance outside Cafe Nero.

The two other bail breaches happened on October 23 when she was found in the town when not meant to be.

Symes-Wood was also discovered drunk outside the Sainsbury’s in Lindon Park Road on December 2.

She also admitted to being in breach of her post-sentence supervision conditions, which she’d been given for committing other offences, by being convicted of the new crimes.

James Nichols, prosecuting, said: “On October 19 she was intoxicated and started abusing people and was shouting at children and a police officer stepped in.

“She became abusive and called him a s*** c*** and then kicked him in his groin area, and then stood on another officer’s foot.”

Andrew Main, mitigating, explained his client’s offending came from her alcohol misuse.

He said: “She has PTSD and some mental health issues and medicates with alcohol and there is no doubt that behaviour will only lead one way.

“She wants to be sober and recognises what causes her offending.

“She’s got to stop as she knows she will die; her twin sister died in March 2022 from alcohol misuse, so she needs to get on top of it.

“She wants to do something about it and her mum and aunt want to help but she needs professional support, but she’s got to put in the effort.”

Magistrates told Symes-Wood she was extremely close to being given a custodial sentence.

But they were prepared to go along with the recommendations of the pre-sentencing report and placed her on a high-level community order.

As a result, for the bulk of the offences she was placed on a 12-month order which will see her attend 25 rehabilitation sessions and complete a nine-month alcohol treatment scheme.

She must also wear a GPS monitoring tag for five months.

She was also fined £40 for the breach of her post-sentence supervision but no penalties were given for the public disorder offence or the two drunk and disorderly offences.

However, she was ordered to pay £100 court costs and a victim surcharge of £114.