Jail Offenders Convicted Of Covid Cough Assaults

ANYONE convicted of assaulting a police officer by coughing or spitting at them should be sent to jail.

That is the view of South Yorkshire Police Federation, which believes a precedent should be set about punishing offenders who weaponise Covid-19.

Chairman Steve Kent said: “These type of assaults seem to have replaced the normal, everyday assaults on PCs that we’d have. Cops are getting assaulted out there pretty much every day in one form or other, even if it’s just a minor punch or push.

“This seems to sort have replaced that and it’s been weaponised, as we know.

“In a couple of cases where cops have been spat at and coughed at, the courts have basically issued them with a curfew – which during this time is an absolute joke – and a suspended sentence. One of the cops contacted me and said, ‘have you heard about this?’. I couldn’t believe it.

“You don’t always see every single outcome, and I appreciate that. But for me, if someone does it and is found guilty of a Covid cough or spitting-related issue, it should be an absolute, no questions asked, prison. Even if it’s just for four or five weeks. It sets a precedent.”

Steve Kent is disappointed at the so-far mainly lenient sentences handed down in the force area for coronavirus-related assaults.

He added: “For some reason there’s very few cases that seem to be ending up in a custodial sentence in Sheffield. So we’re seeing nationally there’s a lot of people getting sent to prison for it, which obviously we are completely over the moon for those cops.

“But we just don’t seem to be getting quite the same level of punishment in our Sheffield courts at the minute, and South Yorkshire courts.

“But there does seem to be a bit of a culture of that at the minute. And I don’t necessarily know why.”

Nationally, the PFEW have called spitting and coughing on emergency workers during the crisis a ‘vile assault’ and badged perpetrators as the ‘lowest form of life.’

Chair John Apter said: “These are the sort of vile, disgusting individuals that my colleagues have to deal with daily.

“Why this is different, is this virus is so contagious and so deadly, and there is a real sense of fear out there. Those who weaponise this virus are the lowest form of life – they deserve every day they spend in prison.

“We’re seeing these individuals continuing to abuse and spit and cough at not only my colleagues but paramedics, nurses and others – it’s disgusting, and they need to be made an example of.”