Jail for North Yorkshire woman who deliberately coughed in the faces of two police officers after Covid-19 breach

Lisa Dawn Fisher, 31, became verbally abusive and obstructive towards officers who had attended reports of a coronavirus regulation breach at a flat she was at in Scarborough on January 30.

Fisher, of Westbourne Grove, Scarborough, then deliberately coughed in the face of the officers.

She was arrested and charged with two counts of common assault against an emergency worker.

Fisher pleaded guilty to both offences when she appeared at Scarborough Magistrates' Court earlier this month. She was sentenced to 16 weeks in prison and also ordered to pay £75 in compensation.

Official figures show that in the six months leading up to the end of January 2020, North Yorkshire Police made 104 arrests following assaults against emergency services workers.

But in the same period up to late January 2021, 150 arrests were made – an increase of 45 per cent.

The situation in North Yorkshire reflects a wider trend, with other forces reporting rising numbers of officer assaults.

Chief Inspector Rachel Wood of Scarborough and Ryedale Command, said: “This sentence sends a clear message of how serious the criminal justice system takes such behaviour.

"All too often police officers and staff are subjected to assaults and threats while carrying out their work to protect members of the public – including the very people who abuse them.

"Police officers are human, they have families, they choose to do a job that puts them in harm’s way for the good of the community.

"Assaults on them will not be tolerated and anyone who deliberately tries to use coronavirus to harm them can expect a swift trip to the cells.”