A woman from West Yorkshire has been sentenced to eight months in jail after spitting at a police officer.
Lianne Mottershead, 30, from Huddersfield, assaulted a police officer by kicking him in the groin in the early hours of 6 April whilst heavily intoxicated. She was taken to Trafalgar House police station, Bradford, where she spat at another police officer. The spittle landed in his mouth and on his cheek, according to the prosecution.
She then informed the custody sergeant that she was infected with coronavirus, going on to tell another officer that she hoped they would “die of corona”, Leeds magistrates court heard on Tuesday. When interviewed she said that the
NHS had advised her to self-isolate on the basis of the symptoms she described.
The chief crown prosecutor for Yorkshire and Humberside, Gerry Wareham, said:
This behaviour is as disgusting as it is dangerous. In the current climate, it is beyond belief that someone should deliberately spit at another person, let alone a police officer performing their duties in the current challenging circumstances. Mottershead has been sentenced to eight months’ imprisonment. I hope she spends that time reflecting on the absolute stupidity of her actions.
She was sentenced to two months for the initial assault by beating of an emergency worker, and a further six months for the second assault, involving spitting. The sentences were ordered to be served consecutively.