.jpg) |
| Pregnant Badley outside Hammersmith Magistrates Court |
Mum-of-two Zeaphena Badley, 30, who was looking forward to becoming Lady Brabourne as the wife of Eton-educated Knatchbull - heir to a £100m fortune - is now "couch-surfing" and staying at a pal's flat after being evicted from her £600,000 Bayswater apartment last week.
She was engaged for eighteen months to Knatchbull, who has the courtesy title Lord Romsey, and is the son of Lord Brabourne, a childhood friend of Prince Charles, but now relies on soup kitchens and the charity of nuns.
He was raised in the sixty-room Broadlands stately home, Hampshire, but struggled with drug addiction, including heroin and crack cocaine use, since his schooldays and began a relationship with Badley when they started sharing a room in a West London house.
Badley, of Ladbroke Grove, North Kensington turned up late for her trial at Hammersmith Magistrates' Court, where she was convicted of assaulting WPC's Stephanie Grayson and Maggie Saliwell and PC John Taylor in Portobello Road, North Kensington on August 27, last year.
Seven-months pregnant Badley, who has two children aged 13 and 14 , complained after eventually arriving: "I have never hit a police officer in my life. They beat the shit out of me, they beat the crap out of me. They aren't allowed to do that."
After learning she had been found guilty an emotional Badley shouted: "Fucking arsehole," at the district judge who convicted her. "I'm seven months pregnant. There is no justice in this country, you don't care if I am innocent."
She was bailed for probation reports and when she returned for sentencing prosecutor Mr. Paul Mitchell told the court: "Officers were on duty at ten to six in the early evening when the organisers of a sound stage informed them the defendant was causing problems.
"She was making hand gestures to the crowd and was asked to leave several times, but continued pointing her middle fingers towards the crowd."
The officers began ushering Badley from the stage, but Badley resisted: "The defendant was shouting: 'What the fuck are you doing?' and turned to officer Grayson and with her left wrist punched her to the right side of her cheek.
"She was handcuffed and restrained on the ground, but continued to try and break free and spat at officer Saliwell's face and then kicked her in the shins.
"She was taken to the ground again and was shouting: 'Only Jah can judge me now. There is no Queen, she's not real, so there are no laws'."
Badley also called officer Saliwell an "ugly bitch."
"She was taken from there to a sterile area in Lancaster Place and was abusive and kept shouting loudly and made an attempt to bite officer Taylor and attempted to kick him in the legs," explained Mr. Mitchell.
"Leg restraints were then put on and officer Taylor was spat at twice, with spit landing on his Met vest and his arm and when she was taken to the custody area at West End Central she spat in the face of officer Grayson.
"Her behaviour was described as erratic and she seemed to become aggressive for no reason and the officers believed she was under the influence of drugs.
"Officer Grayson describes her as 'vile and disgusting' and says the right side of her face is tender.
"Officer Saliwell says: 'She was a vile, disgusting individual intent on attacking as many police officers as possible and showed no remorse."
Drug-addict and chain-smoker Badley was convicted of assaulting two police officers last year, but claimed: "That was spiting, that wasn't assault. I was at a funeral and it was my birthday, I was extremely emotional."
The courts and probation service have tried to help her with her addiction and last year she received a nine-month drug rehabilitation requirement.
She has already spent thirty-five days remanded in custody to HMP Holloway for the Notting Hill Carnival offence.
Her lawyer Miss Emek Yagmur told the court: "Miss Badley still denies these offences were committed by her. She says she was on the stage as part of the performance for one of the bands and her gestures were all part of the act.
"She says she did not swear at the crowd and one of the police officers dragged her off the stage, causing nail marks and bruising to her arm as she was dragged through the crowd.
"She says more police got involved and because of the way she was grabbed by officer Grayson she begged her to let her go and when she failed to do that used reasonable self-defence.
"She hit out while in pain and it was not intended to hit the officer in the face.
"Extreme force was used to restrain her to the floor, she says. A lot of police against one female and they would not listen to her.
"An appeal against these convictions will be lodged with the crown court.
"She is currently seven months pregnant and has ben through a colourful background and has a previous history of offending."
Bronzefield Prison diagnosed Badley as having a personality disorder, but she rejects this conclusion.
Her teenage children do not live with her and she was evicted from her flat after losing housing benefit while in custody, and told the court: "I go to a soup kitchen and I am helped by nuns."
"A suspended prison sentence would give her even more anxiety," suggested Miss Yagmur. "Also being seven months pregnant she is not going to be able to do any unpaid work.
"She has no income at all, she has lost her housing benefit and is living with different friends, couch-surfing, she tells me.
"She has been promised a house in Bayswater by the council and to be put back on benefits, but currently she has no income or savings.
"She can way afford the costs or compensation asked for by the crown."
Bench chairman Andy Robinson told Badley: "It is quite clear in this case that there is no mitigation. You have shown no remorse.
"You have got nothing going in your favour and three officers were involved in full public view at the carnival.
"Your previous record is horrendous and shows a pattern of behaviour that is unacceptable."
Badley was sentenced to twenty-six weeks imprisonment, suspended for twelve months and placed on probation for twelve months with twenty compulsory 'structured supervision for women' sessions.
"You need to engage with probation and turn up for appointments and engage with the activities they have for you so that you do not see the inside of a prison."
No comments:
Post a Comment