A knife-wielding woman caught shoplifting was tasered by armed police officers in a Staffordshire supermarket.

Serial offender Rachael Beavon had locked herself in a room at the town’s Asda store, threatening to kill any officer who entered, Stafford Crown Court heard.

An armed response team battered down the door and taser guns were used to stun the defendant, said Mr Pat Sullivan, prosecuting.

Her drunken violence, on June 14, continued at Cannock police station where she kicked a policeman and a policewoman on the legs.

Beavon, aged 36, of Brook Vale, Cannock, was jailed for a total of 18 months after admitting affray, theft, criminal damage, possessing an offensive weapon and two charges of assaulting police officers.

The court heard she had a string of previous convictions for theft and violence in supermarkets.

Mrs Justice Julia Macur told her: “You seem to regard the supermarkets you enter as your personal larder and when you are challenged, you become objectionable and aggressive.

“I have little doubt that when sober you regret your actions, many of which I doubt you recall.”

Mr Sullivan said the violence started as Beavon was stopped by store security staff having been seen pouring a bottle of whisky into a container and using some dental floss off the shelf.

Because she said she had a knife, she was restrained and put in to a room.

She locked it from the inside and was seen through a glass panel waving a knife around. She ripped a panic alarm off the wall.

The armed response police team were called out and a negotiator tried to talk her round before the door was battered down.

After she had sobered up she said that she had been drunk on two litres of cider.

Mr Harry Lally, defending, said that Beavon was a persistent offender, but the root cause of her problems was alcohol.

“She became depressed at the beginning of last year.

“She needs some professional help.”