Man sentenced to prison for coughing in police officer's face and threatening to spread coronavirus

Adam Lewis, 55, was arrested while trying to break into a car door in central London on the afternoon of March 31. When police discovered him, Lewis responded by smashing a bottle of wine on the ground and loudly threatening the police, according to a statement from the London Police Department.

"I'm a coronavirus patient and I'm going to cough in your face and infect you," Lewis said, coughing directly at the officer. He also tried to spit and bite the officer.

Lewis appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court yesterday. He was sentenced to six months in prison for intentionally assaulting an emergency worker under a law introduced in November 2018.

Court official Helen Harper said such attacks were rare but the behaviour was unacceptable. "I hope today's sentence sends a strong message to everyone that this type of behaviour will not be tolerated," she said.

The UK has so far recorded more than 29,000 cases of nCoV infection, including more than 2,300 deaths. On March 23, the British government banned people from going out except in certain cases, applying the strictest lockdown measures since World War II. Shops, gyms and religious places were closed, all social activities, including weddings, were postponed, but funerals were still held.