MAGISTRATES have jailed a Carlisle man for deliberately coughing into the face of police officer who was arresting him for being drunk and disorderly.

The city’s Rickergate court was shown video footage of Paul William Bleasdale, 34, as he complained loudly to the police officers who were taking him into custody for being drunk and disorderly in Botchergate.

It happened on October 17.

He was then seen forcefully and deliberately coughing into an officer’s face.

In court, the defendant, of Balmoral Court, Etterby, Carlisle, admitted assaulting a police officer and being drunk and disorderly.

The video footage showed how Bleasdale told the officers: “I just want to go home and be with my bird.”

He became annoyed when they tried to remove his watch - a standard precaution during an arrest.

Bleasdale told the officers: “It’s a £3,500 watch!”

Seconds later, he turned to a woman officer and twice coughed into her face.

In her victim impact statement, the officer involved said that she had been left fearing that she would contract coronavirus.

“This has made anxious,” she said, adding that she was also worried about the risk to others in her household.

Sara Budniak, for Bleasdale, said that earlier that evening the defendant had been involved in an incident but he had been acting as a peacemaker.

He had tried to separate two people who were arguing. When he encountered the police officers, the defendant had tried to persuade them to let him go.

He had clearly become agitated when the officers tried to remove the watch he was wearing, which was valuable.

Bleasdale felt that their actions that night were unreasonable and believed his watch could be taken once they had arrived at the city’s Durranhill Police HQ.

The situation escalated as the officers tried to get the defendant into the back of the police van.

The lawyer accepted that the defendant had made a comment, suggesting that the pandemic had been blown out of proportion.

He claimed that he had not deliberately coughed in the officer’s direction.

Jailing him for 12 weeks, presiding magistrate Michael Coulson said the offence had a greater impact and was more serious because the defendant had used his coughs as a “weapon” during a national pandemic.

“You deliberately coughed in the officer’s face, intending to cause maximum distress,” said the magistrate. Bleasdale was drunk at the time. The location also meant there was a danger of the situation escalating.

Magistrates ruled that the defendant should pay compensation of £350 to the officer who was targeted.

Bleasdale must also on release pay a £128 victim surcharge and £85 prosecution costs.