Man jailed for spitting at bus driver during height of Coronavirus pandemic
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A man has been jailed after he spat in the face of a London bus driver whilst the country was in the grip of lockdown due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Kevin Simpson, 45, of Brockley Road, Lewisham, was sentenced to 18 weeks in prison, after pleading guilty to one offence of Actual Bodily Harm (ABH) at London Magistrates Court on Tuesday 18 August 2020.
Police Constable David Holmes from the City of London Police’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID) said:
“This sentence reflects the severity of a crime that could have been significantly more harmful, had Simpson been infected with coronavirus when the attack took place. Thanks to the driver’s mindfulness to get a sample of Simpson’s saliva, despite just being victim of such a horrible act, we were able to identify and arrest him.
“Nobody should have to be afraid of being assaulted whilst they go about their job, especially in such a disgusting manner, at a time when fears are heightened and the need to safeguard our personal health has never been greater. Concerns around protecting ourselves and our key workers from coronavirus are at the forefront of everyone’s minds right now, and rightly so. We want to reassure the public that we are taking instances such as this extremely seriously and bringing the perpetrators of these crimes to justice.”
On Wednesday 13 May 2020, at approximately 4:30am Simpson approached the open driver’s window of the N11 bus, while it was stationary at the Ludgate Circus traffic lights, and asked the driver to open the doors. When the driver explained she could not do this at traffic lights as it was unsafe, and suggested Simpson walk to the next bus stop where she could pick him up, Simpson put his head through the open window and spat in her face.
The driver managed to close the window, after which Simpson spat again at the window itself. Following this, the driver used her on-board “spit kit” to take a sample of the saliva, which was then used by City of London Police officers to identify Simpson, eventually leading to his arrest.
Officers from the City of London Police visited Simpson’s address on 5 June 2020 but he was not at home. Simpson handed himself in the next day at Bishopsgate police station knowing he was wanted by police.