A MAN caught more than five times over the legal limit who allegedly intentionally coughed at police and said he had COVID-19 has had his matter mentioned in Muswellbrook Local Court.
Darrel Francis Matthews, 42, did not appear in court due to the coronavirus and instead provided a written plea of guilty to high-range drink driving and not guilty to assaulting police in relation to the alleged coughing.
The matter was adjourned until May 4.
No hearing date was set down in line with the local court guidelines about limiting the spread of COVID-19.
Police say they were patroling Muswellbrook about 4.15pm on March 24 when they saw a Holden Commodore stopped in the middle of the road on Pacific Way.
As police approached the vehicle, the driver allegedly drove off, before stopping on nearby Tobruk Avenue.
Mr Matthews was subjected to a roadside breath test, which returned a positive reading, police said.
He was then arrested and taken to Muswellbrook police station where he returned a reading of 0.274 - more than five times the legal blood alcohol limit.
Police allege that when Mr Matthews was asked to submit a breath test, he intentionally coughed at the police officer and claimed he had COVID-19.
The alleged incident occurred before the additional lockdown and increase in police powers to issue on-the-spot fines for people out of their homes without a reasonable excuse.
Police have since fined dozens of people for violating the new coronavirus laws, including a man eating a kebab on a bench in Newcastle.
