CPS West Midlands: Successful COVID-19 prosecutions – March to May 2020

CPS West Midlands Magistrates’ Court unit successfully prosecuted 78 COVID-19-related cases over the past three months including incidents of emergency workers and key workers being assaulted, threatened, coughed at and spat on by people claiming to have COVID-19.

Here are just a few of the cases we prosecuted between March and May 2020.

March

Wayne Harvey, from Nuneaton, assaulted a security officer at George Eliot Hospital in Nuneaton who caught him stealing a handbag from the receptionist. He told police he had coronavirus to try to avoid being arrested. He received 31 weeks' imprisonment after pleading guilty at his first hearing at Coventry Magistrates' Court.

Kimberley Broadbent, of no fixed abode, attempted to jump the queue while shopping at an Aldi in Leominster. She spat at a member of staff who challenged her and punched a member of the public who intervened. She admitted her guilt at the first hearing at Kidderminster Magistrates' Court on 27 March 2020, and she was sentenced to 16 weeks' imprisonment.

Dragos Marchidan, of Birmingham, was jailed for seven months after he deliberately coughed on three police officers as he was being cautioned for breaching COVID-19 lockdown measures. He pleaded guilty at the first hearing at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court on 31 March to three counts of assault on an emergency worker.

April

Robert Carson was convicted of a public order offence and threatening emergency workers following an incident at Liverpool Lime Street railway station where he said he had coronavirus and threatened to spit at police officers. He was sentenced to 20 weeks' imprisonment and ordered to pay £100 compensation.

Mark Jones claimed he had COVID-19 as he assaulted two emergency workers who had responded to a domestic incident relating to the breach of a non-molestation order. Jones pleaded guilty to intentionally coughing at the officers who were trying to detain him while claiming he had COVID-19. He also had a suspended sentence activated and received 68 weeks' imprisonment at Newcastle-under-Lyme Magistrates’ Court.

Kelly Toolan, from Birmingham, appeared at Coventry Magistrates' Court for assaulting a supermarket security guard. She pleaded guilty to three counts of theft and spitting at the victim while claiming she had coronavirus and was sentenced to 36 weeks' imprisonment and ordered to pay £200 compensation.

May

Oreighn Quintyne was attempting to board a train to Halifax at Manchester Victoria Railway Station without a ticket. He became abusive to ticket barrier staff and when spoken to by British Transport Police officers, he told them he had coronavirus and was travelling to Halifax to self-isolate with a friend. When told that he could not travel without a ticket, he coughed and sneezed on the two officers, telling them that he had coronavirus and wanted to give it to them. He received a total of 32 weeks' imprisonment.

Donna Selvey, from Birmingham, was arrested on a warrant that had been previously issued. While in custody, she chewed up food and spat it into the face of a police officer saying “drop dead of coronavirus”. She was jailed for 20 weeks for assaulting an emergency worker and ordered to pay £100 compensation to the officer.

Penelope Russell attended the University Hospital in Stoke on Trent with symptoms of COVID-19. While waiting to be seen she was provided with a mask, but she removed this and deliberately shouted and coughed at a nurse. She denied the offence but was convicted at the trial on 18 May 2020 and received a 26-week custodial sentence for the assault and a further 14-week sentence as she was in breach of a suspended sentence.

Sarah Hammond, Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor said: “It is disgraceful that so many key workers who are out protecting and serving the public have been threatened and assaulted like this in such a short space of time. The CPS will not hesitate to prosecute these cases and bring offenders to justice.”