Coronavirus: Woman jailed for drunken coughing at police

A "despicable" drunk woman who coughed at six police officers and threatened to infect them with coronavirus has been jailed for 12 months.

Victoria Geldard, 22, "hawked" at officers who arrested her for causing a nuisance in Stockton, on 13 April.

The officers had several weeks of fearing she had infected them and they had then passed it on to their families, Teesside Crown Court heard.

Geldard, of Bramley, Leeds admitted nine counts of assault.

Judge Paul Watson QC said her behaviour was "utterly inexcusable" and emergency workers who put themselves at risk to keep the public safe deserve to be protected from people who act that way.

He told Geldard, of Poplar Mount: "Tragically, we know one worker has died as a result of being spat at by an infected individual.

"Your conduct was nothing short of despicable."

Richard Bennett, prosecuting, said Cleveland Police officers were called to Ingleton Road in Stockton at 02:25 BST following reports of a woman causing a nuisance.

She claimed to have been assaulted and officers wanted to help her back to Leeds, but she bit one officer and kicked another.

In the custody suite, Geldard coughed at officers and said: "I'll give you all coronavirus."

One officer, who has a new baby, said: "People are dying from this and it is not a nice feeling knowing that I am now putting my family at risk due to her actions."

The court heard there was no indication any of the officers were infected, or that Geldard had had the virus at the time.

Nigel Soppitt, defending, said she was in an abusive relationship at the time and was visiting the area with her partner.

She was thrown out of a house in the early hours after the pair of them got drunk, Mr Soppitt added.

"She accepts her behaviour was wholly inexcusable," he said.

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