By Man sentenced at Grimsby Crown Court today for spitting in police officer’s face
44-year-old Robert Holmes, of Owston Ferry in North Lincolnshire, was sentenced today at Grimsby Crown Court for a number of offences, which included the assault of a police officer in February this year.
On the 9 February shortly after midnight, police officers instructed the defendant to stop his vehicle after he was spotted driving his van under the influence of alcohol on a public road.
He did not stop for police when requested to do so, and he collided his vehicle with with a lamppost. Police then switched on the emergency lighting on their vehicle, and followed Holmes to his home address.
He failed to provide a breath specimen when police asked him to do so.
Other police vehicles were deployed to assist with his arrest.
His Honour Judge A Nadim told the court: “You failed to abide by the police’s instructions to surrender to custody. You locked yourself in your home. Whilst you were making your way from the van to your address and whilst inside your house you were offensive and abusive towards the police officers.
“Your manner was one of aggression, so much so that the police were left with no choice but to make a forced entry into the house.”
After police entered the defendant’s home, they attempted to arrest him. When he was being escorted from the property, he spat in the face of a female police officer and attempted to push her down the stairs.
Judge A Nadim said: “A female police constable was helping you being escorted from the property, and in the course of that you conducted yourself again in an aggressive and abusive manner.
“You gathered phlegm in your mouth and you spat at the Police Constable with it landing on her eye. You tipped her down the stairs. She fell backwards but managed to stay on her feet and was not injured.
“Your conduct in all the circumstances of the case was entirely disgraceful and shameful. The police officers were doing their duty in making sure that our streets are safe from men like you who drive vehicles under the influence of alcohol.
“In the execution of their duty they were subjected to a torrent of abuse from you, causing a police officer to fear violence and culminating in actual violence towards one police officer, subjected to being pushed and spat at.
“In the times of a pandemic, that conduct on your part, had you been infected, could have been a vehicle of transmission for a very worrying disease.
“The police officer was concerned for her safety and that of her family. No police officer should have to tolerate that kind of abuse.
“Police officers need to be protected from behaviour of this type. The message needs to go out loud and clear that this sort of behaviour will not be tolerated by the courts.”
Taking into account the defendant’s guilty pleas and “law abiding” nature prior to this incident, he was sentenced to 34 weeks imprisonment with a requirement to serve half of that sentence.
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