Injured thug spat at police officers in Sheffield city centre as they tried to help him

Sheffield Crown Court heard on February 9 how Khalid Ali, aged 23, of Alderson Place, Highfield, Sheffield, had been found lying injured in the carriageway on Fitzwilliam Street, in the city centre, when he lashed out at police and spat at them.

Stephanie Hollis, prosecuting, said: “Officers went over and tried to establish where the injury was and what was happening and he lashed out.”

Ali was banging his head on the carriageway and had a deep laceration to a forearm which was several inches long, according to Ms Hollis.

Ms Hollis said as an officer tried to restrain Ali to stop him hurting himself the defendant spat at him, covering his jaw, neck, ear and eye in spittle.

Ali continued to struggle and as he was transferred to a stretcher he spat at another officer in her eye and spat at a further officer in the head, according to Ms Hollis, before a spit hood was placed over him.

The defendant pleaded guilty to three offences of assaulting an emergency worker, after the incident in July last year.

Miss Hollis said Ali has convictions including assaulting a constable, damage, affray and possessing a blade, and he was subject to a suspended prison sentence at the time he spat at the officers.

Michael Cane-Soothill, defending, said: “He had self-harmed. He had lacerated his forearm and banged his own head on the floor and of course this does not excuse spitting at three police officers but it explained why he behaved the way he did.”

Mr Cane-Soothill added Ali has been homeless and his offending had curtailed.

Judge Peter Kelson QC, who sentenced Ali to 15 months of custody, told him: “You were trying to harm yourself while they were trying to help you and their reward for their courageous attempts to help you was for you to spit at each of the three of them.”

He added: “There must be a means of sending out a message to the public that our police officers should not be subjected to abuse of this sort. Our police officers do a difficult job and they deserve the protection of the courts.”