Sisters jailed for assaulting police officers and breaching Covid-19 regulations

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Danielle and Sarah Pryor from Nottinghamshire kicked and spat at officers after being told to go home. Credit: Nottinghamshire Police

Two women have been jailed for assaulting four police officers after being challenged for breaching Covid-19 regulations.

34-year-old Danielle Pryor and 33-year-old Sarah Pryor, both from Retford, were spoken to by officers on Monday (27th April) about anti-social behaviour. When officers tried to speak to them again later that same day because they were breaching lockdown regulations, the sisters quickly became abusive and threatening, encouraging each other to spit and cough at the officers.

Sarah Pryor squared up to PC Hauton and Danielle Pryor managed to strike PC Merrygold in the shin with a crutch she had grabbed from another member of the public. PC Merrygold was forced to pin her to the ground in order to arrest her but as he did so she scratched his face with her nails.

More officers arrived as backup. Police Sergeant Alice Bartle and Police Constable Mark Walker went to help Danielle Pryor into the police car but she became aggressive, refusing to get in. She then spat at PS Bartle resulting in saliva landing on her glove. She continued to spit two to three times more before PC Walker pulled her head back to prevent her from spitting again and guided her into the car.

Danielle Pryor was sentenced to a total of 26 weeks in prison. Credit: Nottinghamshire Police
Sarah Pryor was sentenced to 14 weeks in prison. Credit: Nottinghamshire Police

Both women were verbally abusive and threatening on the journey to custody.

Chief Superintendent Rob Griffin said: “Assaults of this kind are completely unacceptable. To treat our officers with complete contempt and disrespect when they are just trying to do their job, putting themselves at risk to protect people from Coronavirus is a despicable act. Then to proceed with violence and spitting in a bid to purposefully harm and put the officers at risk is beyond belief. I'm glad that the pair have been dealt with swiftly by the courts and hope that they will reflect on their insufferable behavior from their prison cells. Anyone found committing these disgraceful acts will be held as an example and treated with the utmost severity."

The incident comes after key workers from across Nottinghamshire came together to launch a video plea to the public following a spate of more than 60 incidents where frontline workers have been coughed on or spat at whilst on the frontline of dealing with the Coronavirus outbreak.

The campaign has already received support from the NHS, Nottinghamshire Police, Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service, East Midlands Ambulance Service, the Ministry of Justice, a number of the county’s local authorities and other bodies.

The video itself features key workers talking about their essential work, as well as telling the story of the mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, brothers and sisters behind the uniform and shedding light on the effects that the assaults have had on their loved ones.

The incident comes after key workers from across Nottinghamshire came together to launch a video plea to the public following a spate of over 60 incidents where frontline workers have been coughed on or spat at while on the frontline of dealing with the Coronavirus outbreak.

The campaign has already received support from the NHS, Nottinghamshire Police, Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service, East Midlands Ambulance Service, the Ministry of Justice, a number of the county’s local authorities and other bodies.