A topless woman climbed onto the roof of a mini-cab after an alcohol and cocaine binge and viciously bit and scratched the driver and police officers called to the bizarre scene.
Half-naked Clare O’Brien, 43, of Pinecliffe Avenue, Bournemouth was only wearing tracksuit bottoms when she ran into traffic outside Lord’s Cricket Ground.
When officers concerned for her safety wrapped her in an emergency foil blanket she believed she was being prepared to be cooked and eaten.
All four victims had an anxious wait for blood test results after HIV-positive O’Brien bit herself and drew blood in an attempt to ‘wake herself from a nightmare’ last year.
The single-mum pleaded guilty to inflicting actual bodily harm to mini-cab driver Umit Tezcan and police officers Robert Seladjins and Jordan Deane on October 6.
O’Brien, who was living in a shared flat opposite the St. John’s Wood ground at the time, also pleaded guilty to assaulting police constable Ryan Gayler.
Yesterday she was placed on an 18-month community order, which includes a mental health treatment requirement and must attend 30 days rehab for alcoholism.
O’Brien is currently residing with her parents, but hopes to move into a flat nearby while they continue to raise her four year-old son.
Prosecutor Miss Jane Osborne told Southwark Crown Court it was 10.30pm when O’Brien fled from the flat during a row, naked from the waist up.
“She stood in front of the mini-cab and jumped onto the bonnet of the car, ran up the windscreen and onto the roof and lay down.
“The driver, who had a passenger, tried to remove O’Brien, by pulling her because she was holding on and she came off and landed on top of him.
“She started to struggle on the ground with Mr. Tezcan, who was trying to get free, and grabbed and ripped his shirt.
“She took hold of his left leg and bit him near the knee and then moved further down and bit his leg again.”
Police arrived, but the violence continued. “They wrapped her in a foil blanket and she began to fight the officers.
“She bit officer Deane and scratched the two other officers, drawing blood.
“Prior to biting and scratching the officers O’Brien had bitten her own arm, drawing blood, and then went onto bite others and used her hands that had been near her HIV-positive blood to scratch others.
“Afterwards she said she thought she was in a video game and needed to escape the people,” added Miss Osborne. “When wrapped in foil she feared she was going to be cooked and eaten.”
All four victims were given medication and months later discovered they were HIV-free.
O’Brien’s lawyer Miss Sarah Iskarous told the court: “She feels awful about the distress she caused to the victims in this case and has written cards to them and can’t imagine the trauma they have gone through.
“She bit herself to wake herself from a nightmare she believed she was in. It was not an attempt to infect anybody.”
The Recorder of Westminster Judge Deborah Taylor told O’Brien: “You had been drinking and taking cocaine and ran half-naked into the traffic outside.
“You stopped a cab by standing in front of it and climbed onto the windscreen and roof.
“It is clear you were involved in a psychotic episode at the time and this incident caused considerable anxiety to the victims.
“These are serious offences, but your remorse is quite clear and you have no relevant convictions and you have a serious medical condition.
“This was an isolated incident and references show the attempts you have made.”
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