Briton jailed for coughing at policeman while claiming to have coronavirus
LONDON, April 1 (Reuters) - A man who coughed at a police constable and threatened to infect him with the coronavirus has been jailed for six months, London's Metropolitan Police said on Wednesday.
Adam Lewis, 55, was convicted of assault over the incident, during which he claimed to have the virus and told the policeman "I am going to cough in your face and you will get it" then coughed directly at the officer.
The police constable, who was on cycle patrol in the central London borough of Westminster, had approached Lewis and asked to search him after being told by a member of the public that he was trying to open the doors of cars parked along the street.
As well as threatening and coughing at the officer, Lewis also smashed a bottle of wine on the floor during the incident, and threatened to bite in order to transmit an infectious disease.
"While these type of assaults are thankfully a rare occurrence, this incident was horrendous and if we do encounter this type of unacceptable behaviour we will be robust in our response," said Chief Superintendent Helen Harper of the Metropolitan Police's Area West Command Unit. (Reporting by Estelle Shirbon; editing by William James)
