A man who coughed in the faces of police officers and claimed to have coronavirus after carrying out a brutal attack on his former partner has been jailed for three-and-a-half years.
Darren Rafferty, 45, left victim Kerry Manning with a broken leg after stamping on her knee in a drunken rage and then slashing at her shoulder with a knife.
When Metropolitan Police officers arrived at the property in Dagenham, Rafferty launched a volley of foul abuse and claimed to be suffering from Covid-19.
As they attempted to detain him, Rafferty repeatedly coughed in the officer’s faces and repeated his claim to have the virus.
At Snaresbrook Crown Court today, Rafferty was sentenced to three-and-a-half years in prison, made up of 30 months for the attack on Ms Manning and an extra year for his behaviour towards police.
Detective Inspector Lucie Card, who led the investigation, said afterwards: “This was a horrendous attack on many levels.
“Rafferty’s vicious, sustained assault must have terrified his victim and has caused her a lot of pain. I sincerely wish her the best for her recovery and hope she can rest a little easier after today’s outcome. We take violent crime seriously and will continue to tackle it, even in these challenging circumstances.
“To use Covid-19 as a weapon against an emergency worker is disgusting but, thankfully, such incidents are extremely rare. However, anyone who does try to use coronavirus to threaten or harm others should expect to face serious consequences.”
The attacks happened just after lunchtime on March 24, the day after Prime Minister Boris Johnson had announced a nationwide lockdown to combat the spread of coronavirus.
An earlier hearing was told how Rafferty had been drinking when he went to Ms Manning’s home and a "physical altercation" broke out.
Rafferty was checked for coronavirus at the police station after his arrest and the Met said it "did not have concerns".
Following news of the attack, Director of Public Prosecutions Max Hill QC warned that incidents of coughing on emergency workers would be treated seriously and would likely be charged as assaults.
Rafferty, from Dagenham, pleaded guilty to causing grievous bodily harm and three counts of assault on emergency workers.
He was handed a 15-year restraining order by the court from contacting Ms Manning.
