A former stewardess has been jailed for assaulting emergency workers while claiming she had both coronavirus and HIV.
Sarah Clarkson-Rose, 42, was jailed for six months at Lewes Crown Court on Wednesday.
Clarkson-Rose was taken to a police station following a disturbance at her home in Uckfield, East Sussex on May 11.
She spat directly in the face of a police officer and was later found unconscious and taken to Eastbourne District General Hospital.
There, she coughed in a nurse’s face and that of another police officer – claiming to have coronavirus.
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In an ensuing struggle, drunken Clarkson-Rose then tore a cannula out of her arm and smeared blood over the officer while saying she had HIV.
She admitted assault by beating and two common assault charges against the emergency workers. None tested positive for Covid-19.
It comes after the director of public prosecutions, Max Hill QC, warned anyone deliberately spitting or coughing at emergency workers faces up to a year in jail.
He recently revealed 313 people have already been charged with coughing or spitting at police and paramedics while claiming to have the virus.
Mr Hill said: ‘It is disgraceful that hardworking essential workers continue to be abused during a health emergency and I have warned repeatedly that anyone doing so faces serious criminal charges.
‘Emergency workers are more essential than ever as society comes together to tackle the coronavirus pandemic.
‘I am therefore appalled by reports of police officers and other frontline workers being deliberately coughed at by people claiming to have Covid-19.
‘Let me be very clear: this is a crime and needs to stop.
‘The CPS stands behind emergency and essential workers and will not hesitate to prosecute anybody who threatens them as they go about their vital duties.’
Another woman was jailed on Tuesday after spitting in another woman’s face before coughing at police officers and claiming she had coronavirus.
Carol Cowan, 52, racially abused a woman in the street in Croydon, south London on Monday morning.
Her victim managed to attract the attention of passing police officers, who succeeded in capturing Cowan.
Once inside their vehicle, Cowan told the two Metropolitan Police officers that she had Covid-19 and began to cough in their faces.
She pleaded guilty at Croydon Magistrates’ Court to racially aggravated assault on the woman, and common assault on the two officers.
She was jailed for 26 weeks for the assault on the officers and 20 weeks for the offence against the woman, with the two sentences to run concurrently.
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