A troubled teenager deemed a public nuisance has been convicted again after police stepped in to pull her to safety on a busy road.
The young woman, who the M.E.N has chosen not to name, has been in court a number of times having threatened to take her own life in public places.
Following her most recent case, the teenager said the emergency services simply 'don't know what to do with me'.
"They just don't get it, " she added.
Police say they work with partner agencies including the NHS in such cases, while the mental health trust in Manchester said that people with 'enduring, complex' mental health needs must still comply with the law.
The latest legal action has been described as 'deeply worrying' by Salford MP Barbara Keeley.
The young woman was hauled in front of magistrates by Greater Manchester Police on Tuesday for the third time in nine months.
She was ordered to pay £100 compensation each to two police officers she scratched while threatening to take her own life.
The court heard she has a history of mental health problems and has been diagnosed with 'emotional and unstable personality disorder'.
Sadly, there have been a number of occasions when she has threatened to take her own life that have led to her criminal prosecution.
Last year, the college student from Salford was convicted of causing a 'public nuisance' when she threatened to jump off a motorway bridge in Greater Manchester.
She was convicted of the same charge in similar circumstances later that year.
On both occasions, police have argued that her actions caused thousands of motorists to be delayed and cost the taxpayer hundreds of pounds in policing resources.
She was still serving a community order for those offences when she was again arrested by Greater Manchester Police last Sunday.
The court heard she had once again left hospital before being seen by mental health professionals and officers were called to look for her.
She was located near the East Lancs road by two women police constables but ran off when she saw them, the court was told.
The officers gave pursuit and managed to detain her on the central reservation.
While being detained, prosecutors said the girl was asking to be 'let go' and was 'digging her nails' into the officers' hands.
She was subsequently charged with two counts of 'assault by beating of an emergency worker'.
In a statement read to the court, one of the officers said: "My aim was to protect her from herself and in doing so I then became the victim."
The court heard that the defendant was held in custody and during this time, wrote her name in her own blood on the wall of her police cell.
For this, she was charged with a third count of criminal damage and held on remand for more than 24 hours before she appeared in court on Tuesday afternoon.
District judge John Timperley asked the probation officer in court if she had been attending the community order imposed for her previous offences.
"They are struggling to engage with [her]," the officer said.
"She has only attended one appointment so far."
Mr Timperley then asked: "If she's not suitable for a community order, if it's crossed the custody threshold, there's no other alternative than prison, is what I'm getting at?"
In her defence, the woman told the court the officers had 'grabbed her by the neck' and as a result she had 'scratched back'.
She told judge Timperley she hadn't attended her community order appointments because paperwork had been incorrectly sent to her old address and she was now staying with her sister.
"The public services are actually trying to assist you, you have got a lot of problems," judge Timperley told the defendant.
"This court has imposed an order, in part, to you with the way you have been behaving in the past few months, do you understand?
"You seem to be ignoring that.
"It looks like you almost want to be sent to prison.
"If I don't send you to prison are you going to engage [with the community order]?"
She replied: "Yes, I had an appointment this morning, I was going to go."
Judge Timperley continued: "The incident on the East Lancs road was incredibly serious - both you and the officers could have been hurt.
"You must get help for your mental health difficulties rather than wasting the time of people need to provide a service to the public."
Judge Timperley said he would impose a twelve month conditional discharge on her but also ordered her to pay £100 compensation to each of the officers she assaulted.
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There was no further order for costs.
The court heard she receives around £200 every fortnight in Universal Credit, and the fines will be deducted from this at a rate of £10 a week.
Speaking after the case, she said: "It's just a pile of s***. Every time I go to A&E, they don't know what to do with me.
"They just don't get it. "People with personality disorders... they don't know what to do with it. I've told them lots of times - it's only going to take so many times before someone ends their life."
Barbara Keeley, MP for Worsley & Eccles South and Shadow Cabinet Minister for Mental Health, questioned whether this prosecution was in the public interest.
Speaking to the M.E.N, Ms Keeley said: "There are a number of deeply worrying issues raised by this case.
"This young woman, experiencing a mental health crisis, should have been taken to hospital not held in a police cell. It’s also concerning that the police in Salford continue to prosecute a young woman with a history of mental health problems for her actions when she was in extreme distress.
"When the police intervene to support someone in a mental health crisis their role should be to provide support, not to criminalise their actions.”
"It’s not at all clear how this prosecution is in the public interest when this young woman is in desperate need of support from mental health services, not fines and criminal convictions."
Greater Manchester Police chose not to comment on the young woman's case, but a spokesperson for the force said its priority was the welfare of the individual and the public.
A GMP spokesperson said: “When mental health is a factor in criminal proceedings, cases are managed in conjunction with partner agencies, including the NHS, GM Mental Health Services and the National Probation Service to ensure the most appropriate outcome - including the offer of multi-agency support.
“Our officers are often the first responders to people suffering a mental health crisis, which can be extremely challenging but our main priority is always the welfare of the individual and members of the public.
“With help from our partners in the mental health services, we have trained thousands of officers in how to deal with people with various mental health conditions and help direct individuals to the support they need.
“It is vitally important that GMP continues to work with partners to ensure we have a consistent and clear understanding of mental health and that the vulnerable people in our communities receive the best possible help and support they need.”
Gill Green, director of nursing and governance from Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust added: "Whilst we cannot comment on an individual’s care, I can confirm we have comprehensive, multi-agency packages of care for people who present with these kinds of mental health issues and behaviours.
"We work closely and supportively with our hospital and police colleagues on the most appropriate courses of action which protect both the individual and public safety. However, it is vital that service users actively engage with the support and treatment which is offered to them.
"Enduring complex mental health needs does not exclude individuals from complying with laws which are in place to keep the community safe. There are ways in which laws can be upheld whilst recognising and being empathetic to a person’s mental health and I am confident everyone involved in cases such as these are very aware this."
