Stranger coughs in blind woman's face

The woman was walking with her guide dog in Halifax Road, Melksham

Officers are treating the case of a person who coughed in the face of a blind woman as a hate crime.

The woman in her 50s was walking with her guide dog in Melksham, Wiltshire, at about 18:00 BST on Saturday when she came across an unknown person.

When she explained she was blind and could not maintain two metres distance, the stranger approached her in Halifax Road and coughed in her face.

Wiltshire Police has condemned the act as "completely unacceptable behaviour".

Sgt David Hambly said: "Especially due to the current climate, the victim felt especially anxious and shocked by this person's actions and immediately went home and washed her face and hands.

'Unacceptable behaviour'

"This is completely unacceptable behaviour and we are treating this as an incident of hate crime - the suspect in this case has shown complete disregard for this woman's health and vulnerabilities and I know members of the local community will be both saddened and disappointed to hear of this person's actions."

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