Mother knocked out encouraged by Lincolnshire police to accept £150 compensation Hayley Clayton, 32, needed 10 stitches after she was punched in the head Police arrested her attacker but decided not to press charges They gave Mrs Clayton the option of accepting compensation or her attacker receiving an adult caution Lincolnshire Police said the punishment was proportionate to the offence A mother who was battered unconscious by a woman in an unprovoked attack was offered £150 by police to drop the charges - so they could avoid filling out paperwork. Hayley Clayton, 32, spent a night in hospital and needed 10 stitches after she was punched in the head and knocked out during a night out in Spalding, Lincolnshire. She received a call from police three weeks later saying they believed they knew who her attacker was and were making an arrest. Victim: Hayley Clayton, pictured left, needed 10 stitches, pictured right, after a Lithuanian woman punched her in the head during a night out in Spalding, Lincolnshire The mother-of-one, from nearby Moulton Seas End, then got another call the next day telling her they had a Lithuanian woman in custody and she had admitted the assault. But she was 'disgusted' when officers said she would not be prosecuted because it was a waste of taxpayers" money. Mrs Clayton claims police said her attacker could either be cautioned or write a letter of apology and pay her £100 compensation. When Mrs Clayton and husband Mark, 39, turned down the offer, police called back and said the woman had a solicitor with her and was willing to offer an extra £50. Despite again turning down the offer of cash, police still refused to press charges and let the woman off with a caution. Mrs Clayton, pictured with her husband Mark and two-year-old daughter Kacey, was told her attacker could pay her compensation or be cautioned but would not be taken to court Mrs Clayton today blasted police and said she had lost confidence in the law. She said: 'I was so offended I told them to stick their money and chose the caution because I wanted her to have a record in case she does this again. It is disgusting that you can buy your way out of committing a crime. What is our country coming to? 'I don't blame the officers because they are doing their job. 'But the system is not right, people shouldn't be able to offer money to get out of having a criminal record when they have punched someone unconscious for no reason whatsoever.' Mrs Clayton, who works as a team leader at a florist factory, lives in her husband and their two-year-old daughter Kacey. Lincolnshire Police today defended their decision not to prosecute the woman. Inspector Jim Tyner said: 'The aim of the adult caution scheme is to offer a proportionate response where the offender has admitted the offence. Cautions are designed to deliver swift, simple and effective justice that also carries a deterrent effect for first-time offenders. 'We also record an individual's criminal conduct for possible future reference. This is not about taking short-cuts, but cautions are effectively used to increase the amount of time my officers spend dealing with other crime and reduce the amount of time they spend completing paperwork and attending court. Proportionate: Lincolnshire Police defended the decision not to prosecute Mrs Clayton's attacker and said the adult caution was proportionate to the crime committed Like most people, I would much rather my officers are out on patrol. Where a victim has suffered financial loss as a result of an assault, they can apply to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority. The force uses three out-of-court disposals for crimes which can be dealt with by police without clogging up the courts, including warnings with compensation and cautions. Chief Inspector Philip Baker, from the force's criminal justice department, said: 'Without knowing the full details in this case a caution or condition caution with compensation may have been appropriate. A restorative resolution, where compensation or an apology is made without a caution is usually applied in low level crimes such as when children put a window through.