Man spat blood in police sergeant's face during disturbance in Sunderland street

Craig Horn, 28, filled his mouth with extra spittle before an attack in Kidsgrove Square, Downhill, that left the officer fearing contamination.

Horn, of Kingland Square, also Downhill, later claimed he lashed out because he was the victim of an assault and police had preferred to arrest him rather than sympathise.

At South Tyneside Magistrates’ Court, he admitted a charge of assault by beating of an emergency worker on Saturday, April 2 last year.

Magistrates sentenced him to a tagged four-month curfew which will keep him indoors and out of trouble for 12 hours a day until Thursday, August 3.

Prosecutor Claire Armstrong said: “At about 3am officers responded to a matter that was unrelated to his arrest.

“The defendant was cautioned and arrested. The sergeant arrived and saw the defendant being restrained by other officers.

“He had blood on his face and officers had restrained him using leg restraints.

“He was lying on his stomach and so was rolled over so that he was face up.

“He gathered saliva in his mouth and spat into the face of the sergeant. It had blood in it.”

In a victim statement, the officer accepted his job made him vulnerable to attack.

But he added: “What I can’t accept is that someone could spit in my face knowing their saliva contained blood.

“As soon as he spat in my face, my thought process turned to the possibility of contamination.”

The court heard Horn has 14 previous criminal convictions from 15 offences, the last in December.

He is also currently subject to two suspended prison sentences for crimes which were not outlined.

Paul McAlindon, defending, said: “The police weren’t concerned by his behaviour but because of a disturbance.

“When they arrived, he was bleeding quite heavily, he had been the victim of an assault.

“He made full admissions to offence and acknowledges it and apologises. He accepts spitting was abhorrent.

“I think there was an issue with alcohol, he is not drinking to the degree that he was.

Magistrates also ordered Horn to pay the officer £100 compensation, with £85 court costs.