Teenage girl who slashed tyres outside police station is jailed

A teenager who slashed the tyres of half a dozen staff cars outside a police station then went to the local baths armed with a knife has finally been locked up.
By Charles Graham
Published 10th Sep 2019, 09:57 BST
Updated 10th Sep 2019, 10:57 BST
Skelmersdale police stationSkelmersdale police station
Skelmersdale police station

Magistrates had last year given Jade Francis 26 weeks’ detention but suspended it for 18 months after convicting her over her vandal spree.

But she was back before Wigan justices this month to admit breaching the community requirement of the sentence by failing to turn up for appointments and so the bench lifted the suspension and had her locked up for six months.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The 19-year-old of Fairhaven, Skelmersdale, had run amok on March 18 last year, attacking cars on the roadway behind Skelmersdale Police Station and the car park to the rear of the library.

Skelmersdale police stationSkelmersdale police station
Skelmersdale police station

Six of the vehicles which had their tyres slashed - a Vauxhall Insignia, VW Polo, Mitsubishi Attivo, Honda Civic, Vauxhall Crossland and a Ford Fiesta - were registered to police officers and staff on duty at the time. Francis then went to the adjacent Nye Bevan pool armed with the blade with which she had caused the damage.

When arrested, Francis was wearing green cargo trousers, a black hoodie with white drawstrings and a black baseball cap pulled down over the face - attire which matched identically the figure caught on CCTV committing the damage. She was also had a black-handled kitchen knife with her.

While locked in the cells at the police station Francis then smashed a glass door pane. It then emerged that she had been responsible for stabbing two tyres on another vehicle in the area - a VW Scirocco - 10 days before.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The court head that the total cost of replacing all the damaged tyres came to £1,460.

When questioned, Francis said “no comment” and refused to explain why she had targeted the cars.

This month she pleaded guilty to a charge of failing to comply with the community requirement of her suspended sentences by missing appointments on November 7 and 19.

As well as being detained, she must complete a 15-day rehabilitation activity requirement and pay a surcharge of £115. She was given 26 weeks’ detention for the blade possession and four weeks for each of the criminal damage charges to run concurrently.