Chippenham man jailed after coughing in police officers faces and abusing NHS staff
A man from Chippenham has been jailed for 26 weeks after he coughed in the faces of police officers while claiming he had coronavirus, and for aggressive and abusive behaviour towards NHS staff.
Byronn Plumb, 30, appeared virtually at Basingstoke Magistrates Court on Monday 18 May and pleaded guilty to three counts of assaulting officers, criminal damage to a police van, being drunk and disorderly in a public place, and a Section 5 Public Order offence.
Officers were called to Greenway Lane in Chippenham on Saturday afternoon (16 May), where they found Plumb visibly drunk and was being verbally abusive.
He shouted that he had coronavirus and coughed in an officer's face as he was being arrested and Plumb went on to damage the inside of the police van as his aggressive behaviour continued.
Whilst in custody, a decision was made to take Plumb to the Royal United Hospital for self-inflicted head injuries. As officers attempted to escort him from his cell, he coughed multiple times, told them he had coronavirus and smirked.
At hospital, Plumb became so abusive towards NHS staff and those around him that he had to be moved to a different ward. He was further arrested under Section 5 of the Public Order Act and later taken back to custody.