Man, 52, spat in the face of police officer (From Worcester News)

Man, 52, spat in the face of police officer

1:10am Friday 12th October 2012 in News

A MAN who had been drinking before falling asleep in his former partner’s garden spat in the face of a police officer who woke him, a court was told.

Michael Vinton, of Cranham Drive, Worcester, pleaded guilty to assaulting a police officer, using threatening words and behaviour and committing an offence while subject to a conditional discharge.

Sam Webley, prosecuting, said that he also faced eight charges of driving without insurance and eight of driving a vehicle without the relevant lic-ence, all of which took place between July 9 and 16 in Worcester. He also pleaded guilty to one charge of being in charge of a vehicle while above the alcohol limit.

Worcester Magistrates Court was told that on Saturday, July 21, police were called to a car park in Castlemorton, near Malvern, to reports of a man drinking alcohol in a vehicle. They found the 52-year-old sat in the driving seat of a Ford van with beer cans in the vehicle.

The court was told that after an argument with his partner he drove to the car park on either July 18 or 19 where he remained until police arrived. He had drunk eight cans of beer between 8am and noon on July 21 and later showed 58mcg of alcohol in 100ml of breath at the police station. Ten days later on July 31, police were called to the home of Vinton’s former partner in Borrowdale Drive and found him asleep in the garden smelling strongly of alcohol.

Officers woke him and he began using “foul and aggressive” language in front of children who had gathered on the pavement before stepping forward and spitting in PC West-wood’s face.

The officer felt he was about to be headbutted so restrained Vinton, who continued to use bad language.

The court was told that all the offences happened while Vinton was on a nine month conditional discharge for theft offences.

Christopher Aggrey, de-fending, said: “These offences are related to his drink problems and he seriously needs intervention to help him tackle these problems.

“He knows what he has got to do and is realistic about keeping out of trouble.”

Under the totting up system, Vinton was disqualified from driving for three years.

Chairman Clare Pilling also fined Vinton £175 for the driving offences, gave him a community order with supervision for 18 months and a six-month alcohol treatment for being drunk in charge of a vehicle, assaulting a police officer and breaking the conditional discharge.

He was ordered to pay £100 compensation to the police officer, fined £75 for the public order offence as well as hav- ing to pay £400 court costs and a £15 victim surcharge.