An abusive mother of one who was detained by police for “drug driving” walked free from court after complaining that the officers had been “heavy handed.”
Cannabis was found in Cheryl Cawley’s car’s passenger door on January 28, 2021, in Radcliffe, Greater Manchester, where she lost her temper and refused to cooperate with the police.
The former telesales representative was detained and taken to Bury Police Station, where she reportedly became “agitated and aggressive” and had “dilated” pupils.
She was arrested in 2018 after hitting a police officer with a coat hanger, according to investigations, and she had a history of violence toward officers.
Cawley was initially charged with assaulting an emergency worker and then affray after the most recent incident last year, and she faced a maximum sentence of three years in prison.
However, on the day of her trial, the prosecution accepted her guilty plea to the lesser charge of using threatening behaviour, which carries a maximum prison term of only six months, after having legal discussions.
Cawley was given a 12-month community order at Minshull Street Crown Court in Manchester, along with instructions to complete 40 hours of unpaid work and 15 days of rehabilitative activity.
After she admitted to withholding a blood sample, she was also given a 16-month driving ban.
She admitted to probation offices that the police had been “heavy handed” with her during the incident, but she gave no other information.
Dean Seddon, her 32-year-old boyfriend, claimed to be the owner of the marijuana that the police had recovered while he was a passenger in the car.
Sentencing “You mentioned that the cops were heavy-handed, that may or may not be the truth,” Judge Maurice Greene remarked to the woman.
At the side of the road, they requested a sample.
They detained you because they believed you to be under the influence of a drug.
You lost your temper and became belligerent and abusive with the cops for some reason, perhaps because they were being overly forceful.
“They brought you to the police department.” They then requested a blood sample from you, which you declined to give.
As a consequence of a conversation, you entered a plea of guilty to those offenses as well as neglecting to produce a specimen for analysis and a public order matter.
“You were first accused of assaulting a medical professional, which is a serious offense.
That was modified to affray a few weeks ago.
“You face a number of challenges. You are in charge of an eight-year-old kid.
A number of the positive points are present, and I take them all into consideration.
Earlier, the prosecutor, Miss Denise Fitzpatrick, stated: “On January 28, 2021, Cheryl Cawley was being followed by a police officer as she drove on four routes in Radcliffe.
A little after 4:10 p.m., the policeman followed the automobile and turned on the emergency machinery.
When she was operating the vehicle on Queen Street, the officer pulled it over.
The defendant was spoken to by the officer, who spoke quite swiftly. Her eyes appeared to be incredibly big.
She seemed agitated and drugged up, both of which were obvious.
When the policeman started searching the car, he discovered two tiny cannabis buds in the passenger door.
The male traveler, Mr. Seddon, her boyfriend, claimed ownership of the marijuana.
The officer asked for a drug test because he thought she might have been using drugs while driving.
She declined, and as a result, she was taken into custody.
The mother of the defendant was present at the residence on Queens Street where Cheryl Cawley was.
Ms. Cawley cursed at the officers in front of her mother and partner.
She was positioned on the road’s pavement.
She was detained after which Bury Police Station was visited.
On arrival, she was characterized as being agitated and hostile. Her eyes were said to be dilated.
“A policeman at the station thought she might have been under the influence of narcotics.”
She declined to give a blood sample for examination.
She was informed that a doctor or other expert would administer it.
She was informed that refusal to comply would result in legal action.
She was then requested to provide another sample of blood. She reaffirmed her opposition.
The cannabis, which the court was told was only a very little amount, was not the subject of any further action.
Cawley had ten prior offenses on record, “mostly for violence and frequently against police constables,” and she was from Radcliffe, close to Bury in Greater Manchester.
She has an eight-year-old dependent, and the eventual driving ban will be extra difficult for her because she is a mother, defense attorney Michael Lee said in a statement.
Disqualification is a serious penalty for a person who relies on an automobile for school runs.