Margaret Wooliscroft, 64, of Brindley Ford, Stoke-on-Trent

A foul-mouthed farmer has been found guilty of breaching her ASBO after driving at a police car with her headlights on full beam before her trousers fell down as she was being arrested.

Margaret Wooliscroft, 64, of Brindley Ford, Stoke-on-Trent, became aggressive after she spotted a police officer talking to a neighbour.

Staffordshire Police civilian investigations officer Matthew Grayson was taking a witness statement from her neighbour on Bull Lane about an incident.

During their conversation, Wooliscroft began shouting abuse about other residents, claiming they were 'spongers' and were 'lighting fires'.

Mr Grayson, of Staffordshire Police, tried to calm her down and then went inside the property on January 16 last year.

Wooliscroft was sitting in her Fiat Ducato when he emerged 50 minutes later and returned to his unmarked police car to update his notes.

The farmer claimed she only switched on the headlights to search for her pet lamb, Alfie, saying he had trotted out of her property and into the country lane.

But giving evidence at her trial at North Staffordshire Justice Centre, Mr Grayson recalled feeling 'dazed' as Wooliscroft drove the van at speed towards him.

Wooliscroft began shouting abuse about other residents, while the Staffordshire Police officer was taking a witness statement, claiming they were 'spongers' and were 'lighting fires'

Mr Grayson told magistrates: 'It stopped just before the front bumper, causing me to be alarmed as I believed she was going to hit the car.'

Mr Grayson alerted other officers, who arrived to arrest the farmer for breaching her anti-social behaviour order, which had been imposed for an indefinite period in 2011.

But as DC Claire Brooker approached her van, the defendant got out and resisted arrest, swearing and shouting as she tried to handcuff her.

Wooliscroft's trousers fell down in all the commotion and the officer pulled them back up.

DC Brooker said: 'She immediately started screaming that she hadn't done anything. She kept on saying: 'I wasn't in public, I was on my yard'.'

During the confrontation, Wooliscroft's relatives had come out to see what was happening.

She complained of being in pain from the handcuffs, later recalling: 'They were hurting me so badly.'

Police radioed for back-up and the defendant was finally arrested after trying to drive off.

Wooliscroft was first given an ASBO in 2011 for abusive behaviour towards her neighbours in Bridley Ford.

In 2015 she was jailed for five counts of breaching the ASBO for accusing innocent people of being paedophiles and drug dealers and one charge of racially aggravated alarm, harassment and distress.

In her sentencing at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court in 2015 her lawyer, David Iles, admitted his client was 'a disagreeable old trout' whose behaviour was 'persistent, outrageous and unpleasant'.

Wooliscroft, of Bull Lane, pleaded not guilty to breaching the ASBO and denied three charges of using a vehicle without insurance.

She was found guilty on all counts following a trial last week.

Prosecutor John Dove said the ASBO contained one condition which was: 'Not to shout, swear or use abusive language or insulting or threatening behaviour, directed at any person in Bull Lane.'

In her defence, Wooliscroft claimed she couldn't have breached it as she was on her own property at the time, although the officers all placed her in the road.

Wooliscroft said she had simply spoken to Mr Grayson as he looked 'lost'.

She denied driving at his vehicle, saying she had put on the lights to look for her escaped lamb.

The animal had become accustomed to going for walks with the family dog and she feared he would head down the road on his own.

Wooliscroft said: 'I saw Alfie coming down the steps. There was no way he was going to run over Alfie.'

Finding her guilty, Jo Fox, chairman of the bench, described Wooliscroft's evidence as 'inconsistent, confused and unsubstantiated'.

Ms Fox adjourned sentencing so a report could be prepared, telling the defendant: 'It will be an 'all options' report.'

Wooliscroft has previous convictions going back to 1987, including two other ASBO breaches, possession of a knife, battery, and using threatening words or behaviour.