Milton Keynes woman who claimed to have coronavirus and spat at police officer is jailed within 24 hours

Emily Whittall, from Sinatra Drive in Oxley Park, was arrested on Good Friday and sentenced at Oxford Magistrates’ Court on Saturday.

She was jailed for eight weeks and fined £200.

Whittall pleaded guilty to one count of assaulting an emergency worker and one count of racially aggravated public order.

Police say this follows an incident on Friday in which Whittall made racist remarks to a call handler after calling 999.

Then, as she was being arrested, Whittall claimed to have Coronavirus and spat at an officer.

Investigating officer, PC Antony Hurd, based at Milton Keynes police station, said: “This sentence is a strong message that assaults against emergency workers are not tolerated by Thames Valley Police or the courts."

He added: “These are unprecedented times during a global health pandemic, and Whittall showed nothing but disregard for this or the officer’s personal safety.

“I’m very pleased with the sentence passed, and I hope it acts as a deterrent against future assaults on police staff.”