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Thursday, 30 December 2021

Derbyshire Man Jailed for Abhorrent Assaults on Police Officers

A Derbyshire man has been jailed for assaulting several police officers, who he subjected to a stream of abhorrent verbal abuse.

Christopher Betts, 39, of Pares Way, Ockbrook, admitted four charges of assaulting an emergency worker when he appeared at Southern Derbyshire Magistrates' Court on Wednesday, 29th December 2021.

He also admitted charges of criminal damage and using threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour.

Magistrates heard that police received a 999 call from Betts' mother, who he lives with, on the early evening of Friday, 17th December 2021.

Becky Allsop, prosecuting, said that the call handler could hear Betts in the background saying "I will stab you with a knife".

Officers attended the property and found Betts heavily in drink. They arrested him on suspicion of assaulting his mother and concerned about his welfare conveyed him to Royal Derby Hospital.

Ms Allsop continued: "He made threats of a sexual nature to (the female officer) called another of a homophobic name, called him 'a nonce and a paedophile' and threatened to rape their children.

"At the hospital he told staff he had 'a Covid cough' and so was moved to another room.

"As they arrived he fell to the floor and then kicked the female officer to the knee.

"The defendant then bit the hand of another officer."

On his discharge from hospital, Betts was taken in a police van to St Mary's Wharf Police Station. He kicked out at a third officer as he was being led out of the hospital.

On his arrival at the police station Betts was placed in a cell.

He spat through the hatch at the custody sergeant, who managed to block spittle from landing on his face.

Describing the spitting, Ms Allsop said: "As he spat he shouted 'have this fucker' and then urinated and defecated in his cell before smearing his excrement on the hatch."

Simon Dhillon, mitigating, told the court that despite his client managing to kick a class A drug habit he was still drinking heavily.

He said: "It is fair to say he has not got a particularly good recollection of the circumstances.

"It is an alcohol-fuelled incident of which all he can say about is that he is someone who is remorseful and ashamed."

Magistrates were of the opinion that Betts' offences, when considered in totality, were so serious that only an immediate custodial sentence was appropriate.

He was sentenced to 50 weeks' custody and ordered to pay a total of £250 in compensation to the police officers he assaulted.

What a thoroughly unpleasant series of offending.

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