A Swindon man has been jailed for 12 weeks after he told a police officer he had coronavirus before deliberately blowing in her face.
Matthew Brown, 32, of Ermin Street, was found guilty of one count of assaulting an emergency worker at court yesterday.
On March 27th, Brown was arrested for an unrelated matter and taken to custody at Gablecross police station.
Whilst being transported to the station, he told officers he had coronavirus and purposely blew into the officer’s face before laughing.
He was sentenced to 12 weeks imprisonment and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £122.
Chief Constable Kier Pritchard said: “I am always extremely disappointed to hear of any kind of assault on one of my officers, but the nature of this incident is appalling – my officers are working tirelessly in extremely uncertain times and they no doubt all have their own personal anxieties about working during a global health pandemic.
“Whilst we appreciate that the vast majority of the public are doing everything they can to keep themselves and their families safe, there are a few individuals who are determined to inflict misery, upset and anxiety on others who are simply there to help keep us all safe.
“I’m pleased a custodial sentence has been issued on this occasion.”
