A jailbird mother nicknamed 'Sweet Pea' has been ordered to wear two electronic tags at the same time after she beat up her disabled boyfriend during a row. 

Amy Gibney, 38, pulled John Cotgreave's hair, wrapped her arms around his head and then tried to drag him around as he sat in his wheelchair.

Staff at a hostel where Mr Cotgreave was living intervened but had to hold Gibney back as she continued to lunge at her partner. Police later spoke to the victim but he declined to give a statement.

Inquiries revealed the mother-of-one, of Tuebrook, Liverpool, had 19 previous offences on her record for violence, public order matters and an offence of being drunk and disorderly - committed only a month before the assault on Mr Cotgreave.

Gibney, who refers to herself as 'Sweet Pea' on Facebook, regularly posts updates on social media about her trips to and from prison and her attempts to tackle her alcohol problem. 

Amy Gibney, 38, (pictured) pulled her boyfriend's hair, wrapped her arms around his head and tried to drag him around as he sat in his wheelchair

Gibney also showed off electronic tags she was ordered to wear on previous occasions and made vows to cut them off as they were hurting her leg.

One post which showed her tag said: 'I don't no why I moan about 7 curfew. As am ready for my bed at that time anyway. If anyone phoned me now after 8 at night am like ''Omg have people got no respect?'''

A third read: 'Men say what you go to jail for? 1st time assault on a police officer 2nd time took a bus full of people hostage for 45 mins. It's not clever it's not brave an it's certainly not funny what I've done. Believe me the list goes on of the stupid s*** I done.'

At Sefton magistrates court, Gibney, who admitted assault, was sentenced to a 24-month community order which involves her wearing one tag on her leg as part of a 8pm to 7am curfew and sporting a so-called 'sobriety tag' on the other leg for 120 days to check she is abstaining from alcohol. Electronic monitoring was introduced in 1999 but it is rare an offender has had to wear two at the same time.

Miss Clare Oliver, prosecuting, said: 'In relation to the assault by beating of John Cotgreave, which took place on August 18 of last year, police received a call from staff at YMCA on Leeds Street in Liverpool.

'The caller said that the defendant attended the address and was refusing to leave. She was screaming and shouting and there was a physical altercation with former partner Mr Cotgreave. He refused to provide a witness statement or cooperate with a police prosecution.

'However, CCTV was obtained and there is a one minute clip of footage. Miss Gibney can be seen attacking him in his wheelchair. He was grabbed around by his hair. She wrapped her arms around his head and attempted to drag him.

'Staff have pulled Miss Gibney away but she continued to try and lunge at Mr Cotgreave.'

The CCTV footage was shown to the court. After Gibney attacked her ex-partner, a man in another wheelchair can be seen trying to get between them as a staff member at the YMCA pulls her away. 

Gibney tries to get free of the staff member by taking off her coat, and continues to lunge at Mr Cotgreave.

Gibney initially pleaded not guilty to the assault but later changed her plea. She faced up to 16 weeks in custody under sentencing guidelines.

Defence lawyer Miss Nama Zarroug said: 'She has daily alcohol testing which she feels is going very well. It is acting a significant deterrent for use of alcohol, She is not afraid of custody as she has been in custody. She knows she can cope with custody but it would hinder the progress she has been making. The opportunity that is being presented here is something that is not going to happen again.'

Gibney was also ordered to participate with 30 days of rehabilitation activity with the probation service and told to pay £364 in costs and victim surcharge.

Sentencing District Judge James Hatton told her: 'You cannot behave in this way and you can reflect on that when you have time to think about it. You seem to have made some progress and I would rather support you through it.

'If you do not comply with the requirements of this community order there will be significant consequences. If you are brought back before the court you could go to custody.'

There are three types of electronic tag, curfew tags, location tags and alcohol tags. A curfew tag checks if offenders are where they are meant to be during their curfew hours, whilst a location tag records data about their movements at all times.

The alcohol tag measures the level of alcohol in sweat every 30 minutes. If an offender wearing one drinks alcohol, it will be recorded by the tag.