A WOMAN who spat at her dementia-suffering former partner and slapped him with her flip-flop has avoided jail.

Bernedette Fitzsimons also threw her ex-lover’s electric tricycle in a river.

The 61-year-old was recorded on the victim’s CCTV which was attached to his doorbell at his Jaywick home wheeling away the £1,500 vehicle.

It was discovered shortly after submerged in water and would not restart.

A drunken Fitzsimons returned to the 72-year-old man’s home a few hours later and began removing the cover from his mobility scooter.

As he went outside to confront her, Fitzsimons punched him in the face and then spat at him, with saliva landing on his cheek.

She then took of her shoe and slapped him on the side of the face with it before throwing the other at him.

Fitzsimmons, of Golf Green Road, Jaywick, admitted criminal damage and assault at a hearing last month.

In a victim personal statement, the man who has cancer and Parkinson’s disease as well as dementia, said: “I am still anxious about opening my door to visitors.

“I wake up with bad dreams where I am trying to protect myself.”

Colchester Magistrates’ Court heard there had been 50 domestic violence call outs over six years with both parties accused of being the aggressor on separate occasions.

Raph Piggott, mitigating, said: “This was a dysfunctional relationship where they would both drink.

“The trigger for this was him not giving a key to her house back and one day she woke up and he was sitting there.

“She knows what she did was wrong and would never have done it had she not been drunk.

“It is probably a good thing the relationship has ended.”

Magistrates handed Fitzsimons a 12 month community order with 25 rehabilitation days.

She was fined £50 and must pay £500 compensation to help replace the tricycle.

There was no victim surcharge or costs.

She was also handed a 12-month restraining order banning her from contacting him for a year or going to his home.