Man who spat at police officers in attempt to infect them with coronavirus is jailed

A man who spat at police officers, hoping to infect them with coronavirus after being stopped for harassing women, has been jailed for 19 weeks.

Michael Gray, 41, of Ingatestone Road, South Norwood, was sentenced at Croydon Magistrates’ Court on Friday April after he pleaded guilty to assault on an emergency service worker and using threatening words or behaviour.

Two patrolling officers saw him appearing to harass three women shortly before 2am on Thursday of last week in Upper Tulse Hill, Brixton.

Officers found Gray was wanted on warrant for failing to appear at Croydon Magistrates’ Court on a charge of driving whilst under the influence of drugs.

He became confrontational and was arrested for the warrant as well as a public order offence

After being held, he intentionally coughed towards the two officers and, when in custody, threatened to spit at both of them. He said he hoped to infect them with coronavirus so that they would pass it on to their children.

He was subsequently charged and kept in custody to appear at court the next day. Gray received eight weeks in prison for the assault on police officers, with the remaining 11 weeks of the sentence for the drug-driving offence. The court also handed down a £100 fine for the public order offence.

Gray was also disqualified from driving for 26 months.

Superintendent Kris Wright, of the Central South Command Unit, said: “This attack on our officers whilst carrying out their duties protecting the communities of Lambeth and Southwark is an attack on every one of us.

“Both officers displayed the finest qualities of the Met, in spite of threats to, and the risk of Covid-19 infection through this man’s actions, and even worse, his desire to cause harm to the officers’ children.

“I am grateful to the court that it treated this matter with the seriousness it deserves.

“Whilst these type of assaults are thankfully rare, currently we all have a duty to do everything we can to protect the protectors.

“My officers are doing everything they can to keep the public safe and police to the very best of their abilities, and we are grateful that the vast majority of people are making every effort to comply with the measures the government has introduced.”