While the coronavirus pandemic may have meant being cooped up at home, that hasn’t always been the case for criminals of Worcestershire.

These are some of the people who were thrown before the courts for spitting at police officers in 2020.

Worcester News: COURT: Paul Biddle. Picture: West Mercia PoliceCOURT: Paul Biddle. Picture: West Mercia Police

Paul Biddle

Biddle, a father of three, who spat at police officers and told them he hoped they would die of coronavirus was jailed.

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.

During the sentencing 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 judge sentenced him to 27 months in custody.

Worcester News: MAGISTRATES: Alan Bishop appeared at Worcester Magistrates CourtMAGISTRATES: Alan Bishop appeared at Worcester Magistrates Court

Alan Bishop

Bishop, 69, initially denied spitting in the face of a police officer but changed his plea after seeing the CCTV footage in Worcester Magistrates Court.

Bishop had been told to go home by officers after he was seen drunk, wandering the streets of Mayfield Road at 12.15am on August 9. Bishop was seen again, 20 minutes later.

“He was not co-operating with police,” the court heard, “He was arrested. They utilised a police van, and tried to place him in it. He turned round and deliberately spat in the face of PC Escobar.”

Magistrates gave Bishop an eight week electronically monitored curfew which will be in place daily between the hours of 7pm and 7am. He was ordered to pay compensation of £650.

Worcester News: JAILED: Charlotte Cowley spat in a police officer’s face on the eve of the national coronavirus lockdown and assaulted four others, kicking and biting themJAILED: Charlotte Cowley spat in a police officer’s face on the eve of the national coronavirus lockdown and assaulted four others, kicking and biting them

Charlotte Cowley

Cowley was jailed for spitting in a police officer’s face on the eve of the national coronavirus lockdown and assaulting four others in a series of ‘disgusting’ attacks.

The 34-year-old mother-of-two admitted five assaults against emergency workers, all police officers at Worcester Crown Court.

Three of the assaults happened at an address in Northfield Street on January 21 and two at an address in in Back Lane South on March 22.

Police were called to Northfield Street following reports of an assault on a man living there, though no charge was pursued in relation to this.

Cowley told officers she had paid £96 to stay there for two weeks before she was described as ‘becoming agitated and aggressive’, particularly towards PC Townsend, swearing at her, telling her to ‘get out!’ and calling her a ‘liar.’

As efforts were made to handcuff Cowley she leaned back and kicked out with both legs, hitting PC Church to the shins, causing pain but leaving no marks.

During a struggle the defendant attempted to grab the officer’s PAVA spray and said ‘have some PAVA in your face!’ and also struck PC Townsend with a two-footed kick to the abdomen before she was restrained.

She also bit PC Townsend, breaking the skin, and attacked PC Hopes, ‘digging her nails into the officer’s right thumb’, again breaking the skin, which forced officers to employ a knee strike to ‘distract her’.

On March 22, while on police bail for the earlier assaults, she attacked PCs Hemming and Potter as they responded to a call at about 10.30pm.

When they arrived Cowley, who had blood on her top, refused to allow the officers entry, trying to block their way. However, PC Potter gained entry as Cowley shouted at him to ‘get out!’

They found blood on the floor of the bathroom and the bedroom door off its hinges. The defendant shoved PC Potter and was restrained and placed under arrest.

“Other officers attended and attempted to remove the defendant from the property. As they did so she spat at PC Hemming, that spit landing on his jaw and neck” said Mr Brotherton.

She then went ‘limp and refused to move’ and kicked PC Potter to the inside of his leg, causing momentary pain before she was taken out to the waiting police van. While being escorted to the van she kicked out again, striking two officers in the chest area.

In police interview she said she had been drinking vodka and coke. “She denied spitting and said she had been manhandled by the police officers” said Mr Brotherton.

Judge Nicolas Cole described her behaviour as ‘abhorrent’ and told the defendant: “You kicked and spat at PC Hemming and kicked another officer, PC Potter. This was during the period when the country was very much aware of the coronavirus pandemic, coming as it did a day before the national lockdown.”

Although there was no suggestion Cowley, now of Acfold Road, Handsworth, had Covid-19 and she did not claim to be infected, the judge added: “Spitting at officers is more than simply unpleasant. Many officers have described as worse than being physically assaulted. It is, quite frankly, disgusting.”

The judge jailed her for 11 months, half of which she will serve in custody and half in the community on licence.

Said Khalid

Homeless, 28 year-old Khalid, was jailed after he admitted to an assault on an emergency worker, which took place on July 6.

Magistrates in Kidderminster heard how Khalid had been at Great Malvern station at around 10.15pm on July 6.

He had been acting aggressively after he was asked to get off the train.

Railway staff then called the police, who arrived to make Khalid move.

While there, he spat in the face of one of the officers, kicking him in the shin.

Khalid was jailed for six months.

Chief inspector Gareth Morgan of West Mercia Police spoke of his ‘pride’ in the officers who risk their lives to keep the streets of Worcester safe during the crisis, calling it a ‘sad fact’ that some have been assaulted during the pandemic.

The officer extended his thanks to the majority of the public for abiding by the terms of the lockdown in a situation which he described as ‘new’, ‘ever-changing’ and ‘unprecedented’.

“It is a sad fact that officers and other emergency service workers across the country are assaulted. We take a robust stance on this and ensure that offenders are charged and put before the courts,” he said.

“I would like to acknowledge the fantastic work of colleagues in the NHS, care homes and emergency services. It is not lost on us their continued hard work and dedication to public service.”