A solicitor told a court his client was "let down" by the criminal justice system after he claimed a PCSO made a witness statement which was not true.
Natalie Riley, 41, was caught with a needle she had taken from her bag in the Tesco superstore on Hanover Street in Liverpool city centre on October 8, 2023. Two PCSOs had been called to the scene after it was suspected Riley had committed a crime.
Riley then went to the corner of the shop near a lottery machine and took out the needle. She then left the shop and was followed by the PCSOs into Williamson Square, where she was briefly detained before making her escape on a bike, which was given to her by a passer-by.
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She was arrested later that day and remanded in custody for two months, with her defence solicitor telling Liverpool Crown Court that one of the PCSOs had claimed Riley had threatened them with the needle.
She was arrested later that day and remanded in custody for two months, according to Paul Lewis, defending Riley.
Mr Lewis said this alleged claim was not supported by bodycam footage, which he told the court showed "no such threat was made." He said Riley had been "appallingly let down by the criminal justice system", as at the time she had no legal representation and had pleaded guilty to an allegation which was "unsustained".
A magistrates court list dated November 11 lists a plea hearing for Riley, detailing the charge as one of threatening a person with a blade / sharply pointed article in a public place.
The charge states: "On or in 8 October 2023 at Liverpool had an article which had a blade or was sharply pointed, namely Hypodermic Needle with you in a public place, namely Parker Street, Liverpool and unlawfully and intentionally threatened another person, namely (the PCSO) with that article in such a way that a reasonable person who was exposed to the same threat would think that there was an immediate risk of physical harm to that reasonable person."
At the crown court sentencing hearing, held on Friday, December 8, Mr Lewis said: "It has to be said that she has been in custody since the beginning of October, and she was in custody because the community support officer said she had threatened them with a needle. What the officer forgot was there was a body camera recording what was being said, and no such threat was made.
"This caused this lady, who was unrepresented, to plead guilty to allegations which were unsustained. She has been in custody now for more than two months for possession of a needle.
"What undermines public trust is people that make witness statements that are not true."
At crown court she was sentenced for being in possession of a sharply pointed article, a charge she admitted, and was sentenced by judge Jack McGarva to four weeks in prison, allowing her to be released immediately due to the time she had already served in custody.
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