A Whitehaven woman who threatened to cave in the skull of a neighbour while drunk outside her home has been handed an immediate six-month prison sentence.
Fifty-six-year-old Cheryl Bragg’s latest brush with the law occurred at around 11.25am on July 16, when her neighbour was at home with a three-year-old child.
“She was upstairs and heard Bragg outside shouting,” prosecutor Andrew Evans told Carlisle Crown Court. “She heard herself being called a scruff and being told to ‘get out there now’.”
As she ignored Bragg, the neighbour was told to come down here now, and warned: “I am going to fight you. I am going to cave your skull in.” Bragg was carrying a vodka bottle, the court heard.
Mr Evans said: “She could tell the defendant had been drinking. She was staggering all over the place and slurring her words.”
Bragg then used a metal pole to smash a front window of her neighbour’s address. After urging Bragg to get away and go home, the woman heard a second bang on a downstairs window.
In an impact statement, the neighbour spoke of her fears for the child, who had made reference afterwards to the naughty lady. That child should not, added the neighbour, have to witness such an incident from their own home.
Bragg was said to have 32 previous criminal offences on her record. In January 2022, she had been subject to a criminal behaviour order with conditions, one of which banned her from being drunk in public.
Following the latest incident, she admitted a public order charge, criminal damage and what amounted to a 19th breach of the order.
Marion Weir, mitigating, said Bragg had previously been under the supervision of probation service staff until assistance was suspended in early July due to good progress.
But that sudden withdrawal of support had a significant impact on Bragg who returned to drink for the first time since February prior to the incident at her neighbour’s.
Bragg was remorseful, had suffered bereavement and stresses, and had experienced difficulties with some of her neighbours. “It is clear, when she controls her alcohol, she does not offend,” said Ms Weir. “It is an issue with which she needs support.”
Jailing Bragg, Recorder Andrew McLoughlin said: “It seems to me you have fallen very quickly back into your old ways of turning back to alcohol.”
