Coronavirus: Dragos Marchidan coughed on police at Tyseley party

Police found about 20 people drinking alcohol and listening to music, the CPS said

A man has been jailed for deliberately coughing on three police officers as they broke up a party of 20 people in Birmingham.

Dragos Marchidan smirked and did not cover his mouth as he coughed despite being warned by the officers, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said.

Police were called to reports of a party breaching lockdown rules, at the property in Tyseley on 29 March.

In court, Marchidan admitted assault and was jailed for seven months.

The 33-year-old, from Small Heath, pleaded guilty at Birmingham Magistrates' Court on 31 March, to three counts of assault on an emergency worker.

He was sentenced at the city's crown court to seven months in jail for one incident and four months for the other two to run concurrently.

'Unacceptable behaviour'

West Midlands Police officers were coughed at after discovering a group that was breaching social-distancing rules by listening to loud music and drinking alcohol, the CPS said.

Police were advising people to leave the address and as the group dispersed Marchidan began coughing in the direction of the officers.

He ignored several warnings to stop and was arrested.

Robert Glenn, from the CPS, said: "This is unacceptable behaviour and people who choose to assault emergency workers should know that they will not get away with it.

"Our emergency workers should be able to carry out their jobs without being assaulted or put at risk."