Man in custody spat in South Yorkshire police officer's face

A man in custody spat in a South Yorkshire police officer’s face, in an act branded ‘despicable’.
By Claire Lewis
Published 11th Apr 2020, 09:14 BST
Updated 11th Apr 2020, 10:58 BST
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The culprit struck while in custody in Rotherham on Thursday night.

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In a tweet, South Yorkshire’s Special Constabulary, which is made up of volunteers, said the officer was wearing a protective face shield at the time because of the coronavirus outbreak.

A cordon of police tape (Photo credit should read NIKLAS HALLE'N/AFP via Getty Images)A cordon of police tape (Photo credit should read NIKLAS HALLE'N/AFP via Getty Images)
A cordon of police tape (Photo credit should read NIKLAS HALLE'N/AFP via Getty Images)
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The constabulary said: “One of our Rotherham officers was assaulted on duty last night by an aggressive male in custody who spat straight in the officer’s face.

“Thankfully, at the time the officer was wearing a Covid face shield, but still a despicable assault.”

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In response, Derbyshire’s Special Constabulary said: “Totally unacceptable. Glad your officer was suitably protected.”

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According to NHS England, a total of 80 people have died of coronavirus in Sheffield, 36 have died in Barnsley, 29 deaths have been recorded by Doncaster and Bassetlaw Hospitals NHS Trust and 19 patients have died in Rotherham.