A Cheshire drug dealer spat in the face of a prison officer who was returning him to his cell.
Conor Bassnet, 30, of London Road, Sandbach, admitted assaulting an emergency worker when he appeared at Leicester Magistrates' Court on Wednesday, 19th February 2025.
The offence took place when Bassnet was a prisoner at HMP Stocken, having been sentenced to five-and-a-half years for possession of heroin with intent to supply.
Tracy Lovejoy, prosecuting, outlined the facts: "On September 3, 2024, at HMP Stocken, the defendant was given a direct order to return to his cell but he refused to."
As the officer approached Bassnet said: "Touch me and I'll start swinging."
Other officers came to assist with Bassnet's forced removal to his cell. Once back at the cell, the officers released their grip on Bassnet's arms.
Ms Lovejoy continued: "As they released him, he turned around and spat into the face of the victim, hitting him just above his left eye and above his mouth."
In a victim personal statement, the officer said: "I find being spat at utterly disgusting. I'd rather be punched.
"I worry about being infected with a virus."
Berinda Chawla, mitigating, told the court that his client had been undergoing treatment for psychosis and was feeling "sad, alone and anxious."
Mr Chawla said that Bassnet, who had been "law-abiding since leaving prison", had been placed in solitary confinement as a result of the assault. Given his punishment by the prison authorities, Mr Chawla asked the Bench to deal with the matter by way of a standalone compensation order.
The court heard that Bassnet had been working as a chef since his release from custody in October 2024.
Magistrates were of the opinion that the offence was serious enough to merit a community order.
Presiding Justice, Jonathan Price JP, said: "It's a really unpleasant offence.
"There's an awful lot of aggravating factors, not least of all that it was in a prison. You're just this side of going back to custody."
Bassnet was handed an 12-month community order with the requirement that he completes 160 hours' unpaid work.
He was also ordered to pay £100 compensation, £114 surcharge and £85 towards prosecution costs.
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