AN NHS secretary has avoided jail after assaulting a police officer during a drunken Marymass brawl.

Deborah Macaulay launched a vile tirade of verbal and physical abuse on police officers after being asked to leave Pitchers nightclub, asking cops: “Do you know who I am?”.

Kilmarnock Sheriff Court heard the mother-of-four had been drinking all day at the Marymass Festival with her husband and 17-year-old twin sons on August 25 this year.

The family ended up in the Bank Street nightclub where witnesses saw Macaulay’s sons enter a door marked “staff only” at around 12.40am, resulting in them being asked to leave.

The 37-year-old, who gave her address as Earlsbridge Wynd, Irvine, became “upset” at this and was also asked to leave the club.

Procurator Fiscal depute Jennifer Harkins told the court: “At this point police were in a marked vehicle opposite the nightclub where they saw four people being ejected from the club.

They could see an argument taking place between the accused and door staff.

“Police attempted to intervene. The accused swung a punch (at the Inspector) narrowly missing her. She was being verbally abusive and tried to back kick her before screaming in the police officer’s face ‘Do you know who I am. I know CID I will get you sacked.’

“Another officer intervened and they brought her under control and handcuffed her. She continued the abuse towards another officer that was near before being taken to Saltcoats Police Office.”

Macaulay’s solicitor Brian Holliman told the court: “It’s a situation which escalated out of all sense of proportion.

“It was those actions that were directed at her sons that prompted her reaction to door staff. But too much drink had been taken or she simply would not have reacted on that manner. She said perhaps the door staff were overzealous but she accepts that her response was perhaps not what was required of the situation.

“She’s embarrassed by her appearance here in front of her children and that her malevolence was witnessed by her children. Heightened by the fact that her job means she has to liaise with the police in the course of her employment. Her remorse is genuine.”

Sheriff Iona MacDonald scolded Macaulay telling her: “It’s obvious that drink was taken to excess and you reacted in a way that’s out of character. You must have seen the abuse people suffer in the NHS. The police suffer 10 times over because they are only doing their job.”

Macaulay was fined £460 and ordered to pay £100 compensation to the police officer she assaulted.