Man jailed for coughing in faces of nurses

A man has been jailed for 12 months after coughing in the face of two nurses in hospital.

Lance King, 30, of no fixed address, was taken to Royal Stoke University Hospital with suspected Covid-19 and coughed on two A&E nurses just after 1.30pm on Monday 6 April.
 
He also urinated on the floor of the cubicle and scribbled on himself and items within the cubicle with a pen from the nurse’s desk.
 
King was sentenced at North Staffordshire Justice Centre on 8 April after pleading guilty to assaulting an emergency worker and criminal damage.
 
A 49-year-old has also been charged with persistently make use of public communication network to cause annoyance/inconvenience/anxiety after allegedly making over 50 calls to police and ambulance between 6 and 7 April.
 
He will appear in court on 7 May.

Assistant Chief Constable Simon Tweats said: “Thankfully, on the whole people are complying with Government guidelines. However, as these cases show, we will take enforcement action when required.
 
“Coughing on nurses who are working to save people’s lives is totally unacceptable.
 
“The message remains clear; stay at home and follow the guidelines. We don’t want to have to take action but we will do so if required. Particularly against a small minority who repeatedly choose to put other lives at risk."