A WOMAN who used a wooden bat during a verbal altercation in Pembroke Dock's Dimond Street has been given a community order.

Julia Charles, aged 52, of Dimond Street, Pembroke Dock, appeared before Haverfordwest Magistrates Court on Tuesday, December 3.

Charles pleaded guilty to possessing a weapon in a public place on October 26.

Prosecuting, Vaughan Pritchard-Jones said: “Police received two calls about 6pm in the evening on this day about a number of people fighting and that one person had a weapon.

“When the police attended, whatever had happened had happened, so the officers went back to the station and reviewed the town’s CCTV footage.

“It showed a number of persons in Dimond Street. Words were being exchanged between parties and they could see the defendant was in possession of a short wooden bat and witnessed her strike a woman on the back.

“That woman did not want to make a complaint and the defendant was also seen swinging the bat at a number of other people but she didn’t make contact.

“She was arrested but gave a no comment interview.”

Defending, Mark Layton said: “Her partner was assaulted by a number of persons and having seen this happen to him, in anger she left her premises with a small wooden bat. It is not a weapon as such, it is more like a rounders bat and she has had it since she was at school.

“She struck a person on the back, but she regrets her actions. It was impulsive, out of character and she does show genuine remorse about what has happened. It was the actions of others that commenced this chain of events and she deeply apologises for it.”

Magistrates asked for a report to be done by the probation service before sentencing.

Julie Norman said: “She admits she lost it, she has had the bat for a number of years and it was never an intention of hers to use it as a weapon. She is disappointed to be here today.”

Magistrates gave Charles a 12-month community order with 80 hours of unpaid work.

She will also have to pay £85 in court costs and a £90 victim surcharge. A destruction order was made for the bat.