£1,000 fine for man who spat at police officer claiming he had COVID-19

He was speaking at Derry Magistrates’ Court on Friday as he ordered a local man to pay an officer £1,000 in compensation.

Joseph O'Hagan (33) of Cornshell Fields in Derry appeared charged with assaulting police and a series of driving offences including dangerous driving and driving while unfit on July 4 last.

The court heard that police were called to a report of a hit and run in the Rosemount area where a woman who was driving signalled to stop and another car collided with her.

The car made off and the woman followed him before he parked.

The woman confronted O'Hagan and asked for insurance details but the defendant refused and drove away going the wrong way round a roundabout, the court heard.

When the car was located open bottles of wine could be seen in the vehicle, the court was told.

Police attended O'Hagan's address and he confronted police 'in an aggressive manner'.

He then headbutted the window of the police vehicle and spat at an officer telling him he had Covid, the court heard.

At interview he denied drinking while driving and said he had taken alcohol after the incident.

Defence counsel Sinead Rogan said that these were 'a nasty set of offences'.

She said her client accepted full responsibility and said the background was 'alcohol related'.

The barrister said that O'Hagan was 'moving away from alcohol.'

Judge McElholm said that he didn't know where people felt they had the right to assault police officers.

He said this man had 'spat in the face of an officer quite deliberately'.

He sentenced O'Hagan to six months in prison suspended for 3 years, disqualified him from driving for 18 months and fined him £200.

He also ordered O'Hagan to pay £1,000 in compensation to the officer and said no one should 'have to suffer this type of behaviour at their work.'

The judge said that O'Hagan had come 'within millimetres of going to prison.'