Mum smashed plant pot over PC's head cutting out a chunk of scalp after he was called to her Gateshead home
A mum who smashed a "pretty sizeable" plant pot over a policeman's head which cut out a chunk of his scalp has kept her freedom.
The officer had gone to Toni Powell's home to speak to someone else in November 2023 when she hit him from behind with the ceramic vessel.
Newcastle Crown Court heard the victim felt instantly light-headed, dizzy, sick and close to passing out.
A picture shows pieces of the shattered plant pot left on the floor.
The PC was taken to hospital where a wound to his scalp, which could not be closed due to a chunk of skin being missing, had to be glued over. He needed time off work and suffered affects of the injury for months.
Meanwhile Powell, who had been drinking, told the injured officer's colleagues: "I should have hit him harder."
Powell, 50, of Newbolt Court, Felling, Gateshead, admitted unlawful wounding on the basis she believed the police had been "heavy handed" at her address although body worn footage from the scene did not support that.
Prosecutor Rachael Glover told the court the officers had gone to Powell's home to speak to another woman and had to force entry.
The court heard Powell was aggressive towards them and the PC pushed her back, out of the way.
Miss Glover said: "He then turned to assist his colleagues.
"He was hit to the back of his head with a ceramic plant pot. He was light headed, dizzy, sick and felt close to passing out."
The court heard the officer struggled to recall the names of certain items and felt "spaced out" for days afterwards.
He said in an impact statement: "The female who assaulted me had no involvement in this and has assaulted me for no reason at all other than to prevent the offender being arrested.
"It caught me completely off-guard, you don't expect to be hit over the head with large, heavy items by someone not involved."
Rachel Hedworth, defending, said Powell was "relatively highly intoxicated" at the time and is now "absolutely disgusted" by what she did.
Miss Hedworth said Powell has suffered violence herself in the past.
Judge Robert Adams said: "It was a pretty sizeable plant pot, she could have fractured his skull. The injuries could have been a lot more unpleasant than they were."
Judge Adams sentenced Powell, who is not heavily convicted, to 12 months suspended for 18 months and told her: "You must never repeat this behaviour."