A CLYDEBANK husband and wife have been jailed for a “persistent and vicious” attack on two police officers sent to deal with a report of a disturbance at their home in the town.

William and Lorna Middleton were each locked up for six months for the drunken attack, which happened at their Singer Street flat in December.

The two officers both sought trauma counselling after the incident, which a sheriff described as “horrendous”.

A court heard that 32-year-old Lorna Middleton punched a female officer repeatedly on the head, while her 36-year-old husband threw a glass bowl at the same officer and repeatedly punched and kicked a male constable.

Fiscal depute Ian Meacock told Dumbarton Sheriff Court that the two officers were responding to reports of an “ongoing disturbance” shortly before 8.30am on Sunday, December 3 in which a female could be heard screaming.

Mr Meacock said the two constables could hear screaming from within the flat when they arrived, and entered through an unlocked door, where they found Lorna Middleton lying on the living room floor in a “heavily intoxicated” state.

Lorna Middleton quickly became hostile and refused to calm down, punching the female officer repeatedly on the head and repeatedly kicking her on the leg.

William Middleton ignored instructions from the male officer to stay away and threw a glass bottle at the female constable.

Both officers activated the emergency buttons on their radio handsets to summon immediate assistance, but William Middleton refused to desist and sat on top of the male constable, “punching him with his right first to the direction of his head”.

The two officers both used an incapacitant spray to try to restrain the pair, but to little effect, and the female constable eventually had to strike William Middleton on the back of his legs with her police baton – but not before he spat towards her.

Four other police officers had to help take the pair to waiting police vehicles outside.

Lorna Middleton’s solicitor, Gail Campbell, said her client had mental health and alcohol issues as well as “negative impressions” of police as a result of reports of abuse as a child which had not been acted upon.

Ms Campbell said: “The options here are very stark. It would be fair to say she is terrified of a custodial sentence.

“She offers her apologies for her conduct. In her calm and sober state she was horrified on reading the Crown witness statements.

“She has little to no recollection of her own action and all the information has come from others present.”

Judith Reid, defending William Middleton, said the incident happened the morning after a family party.

She told the court her client felt, “drink having been taken”, that the two officers were being “heavy handed” towards his wife, and that the unannounced arrival of police in the house had not helped calm down the situation.

Ms Reid added: “He accepts absolutely full responsibility for this matter and for his behaviour.”

Both solicitors asked that their clients be given community payback orders to help them address their issues.

But Sheriff Gerard MacMillan told the pair: “Can this matter be properly dealt with other than by a custodial sentence? I regret to say that the answer, for both of you, is no.

“This was a horrendous attack – as serious as I have ever heard on a summary complaint.

“The assault was persistent and vicious and continued, and the only possible outcome is imprisonment.”