Man jailed after beating up and spitting on emergency workers in Milton Keynes

A 36-year-old man has been jailed for beating up and spitting on emergency workers during the Covid pandemic.

Terry Phelps from Stony Stratford has been given a five month prison sentence for two charges of assault by beating in July this year. One of his victims was a female police officer and the other was a paramedic, Milton Keynes magistrates heard.

Both assaults resulted in the emergency workers being out of service for a period.

Phelps further pleaded guilty to using threatening and abusive words and behaviour to a second police officer, as well as causing criminal damage to the bonnet and windscreen of a vehicle belonging to the NHS.

Some of the comments he made were homophobic and/or sexual, the court heard.

Phelps was jailed for a total of 20 weeks. He was ordered to pay a total of more than £700 in compensation, costs and victim surcharges.

The magistrates said the reason for the imprisonment was that the offence was so serious because it involved "unprovoked and serious assaults, including spitting " during the pandemic,

And they said Phelps was given a jail sentence rather than a community order due to the "homophobic/sexual comments" he made.