A FATHER-of-three who spat at police officers and told them he hoped they would die of coronavirus has been jailed.

Paul Biddle put his head in his hands as he learned his fate during the Worcester Crown Court sentencing for four counts of assaulting emergency workers, and for assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

Biddle had denied the assault on his girlfriend Kimberly Probert that took place on May 18 this year, in which he throttled her round the neck, hit her on the head and then, while she took refuge in the bathroom, he kicked in the bathroom door to carry on the assault. But a jury found him guilty of that offence on Tuesday.

During the sentencing on Wednesday John Brotherton, prosecuting, played body cam footage taken of his arrest on May 18 and, in it, Biddle could be heard coughing, spitting and while doing that said he had coronavirus. Mr Brotherton said the spit had hit PC Parsons to the right side of his face and eye, while PC Fleming was hit on her neck and uniform.

In a victim statement read out in court, PC Parsons said he had been distressed by what happened, had to self isolate away from his family, and gets tests for diseases as Biddle was a drug user.

The prosecutor added that on May 19, Biddle continued the assaults when he was twice taken to see his solicitor. Mr Brotherton said: “The behaviour exhibited on arrest continued. He was coughing (towards officers) he was told to return to his cell and proceeded to spit several times in the corridor, and on officers’ feet. He said ‘I’ve got Covid, I hope you all die of Covid.”

 

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Tariq Shakoor, defending, said Biddle had committed the offences when he was addicted to crack cocaine but having been in custody since May he was now clean of drugs. Mr Shakoor said: “There was an indication after the verdict he might not be attending, but he comes to court to face up to what he has done. He is disgusted by his behaviour. Mr Biddle has a long history of offending, starting at a young age. At 28 he is still a young man who can, and does want to, try and turn his life around.”

Sentencing him Judge Martin Jackson said: “At the best of times spitting in someone’s face is a disgusting act, in these circumstances (during lockdown) it was completely and utterly abhorrent. I have to deal with somebody that on three separate occasions was prepared to threaten to transmit a deadly virus to people going about their daily jobs. The assault - I regard it as a sustained and repeated assault on Kimberley Probert, aggravated by previous convictions (previous assaults on women).”

The judge sentenced him to 27 months in custody, and he was given a five year restraining order not to contact Kimberly Probert.