A woman who threatened to stab a hospital worker in a drunken rage was jailed for 16 weeks.

Patricia Katherine Lane, of Kershaw Road, Dagenham, pleaded guilty to assault and use of threatening and abusive words with intent to cause fear at Barkingside Magistrates’ Court on Thursday.

The incident saw Lane, 30, spit at a hospital worker and call her a “c***”.

Lane knocked on the door at an unknown address on May 24 in an “inebriated state”, the court heard.

An ambulance was called and Lane was taken to Queen’s Hospital in Romford, but “she became abusive in the waiting area to members of the public and duty staff,” the court prosecutor said.

Lane was told to calm down, but directed her anger at staff member Joanne Player.

“She said she was going to stab her and kept calling her a ‘c***’,” the prosecution continued, “and then lunged towards her.

“The defendant proceeds to spit at the victim, unfortunately making contact with the lower area of her uniform.”

Security were called, along with the police, as Lane shouted: “You’re a c***, you’re a c***.”

The defence solicitor said: “On the day in question Ms Lane accepted she had too much to drink, and is responsible for her intoxication.

“She couldn’t remember much about what happened that day.”

Lane had pleaded not guilty at an earlier hearing, but after being told what had happened, she was unable to challenge the account given and changed her plea to guilty, her solicitor said.

Lane was on a suspended sentence for a previous offence at the time of the incident.

Judge Chris Wright said: “I’m sentencing you to eight weeks’ imprisonment for breach of the suspended sentence order, eight weeks’ imprisonment for the assault to run consecutively, and four weeks for the abuse.”

Lane will spend a total of 16 weeks in jail.

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