A TROUBLED woman cowered on a bridge with a kitchen knife after phoning the police to say she wanted to harm herself, a court heard.
Jayne Ellyss, 40, had only just been released from prison after completing a four-month sentence for the latest in a stream of similar calls.
Police stopped the public from using the bridge over the Peter Cooper Roundabout at Hedge End during the negotiations.
Prosecutor Siobhan Linsley said Ellyss was crying and cowering and refused to speak but showed officers she had a knife with a five-inch blade.
Police spoke with her for 15 minutes before she handed the weapon over, pleading she needed help for her mental problems.
Ellyss, of the Grange Park Caravan Site, Hedge End, pleaded guilty to possessing a bladed article in a public place and was placed on supervision for 18 months.
Alistair Wright, mitigating, said Ellyss found the regime in custody helpful.
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