Man sentenced after coughing in nurse’s face at Nottinghamshire hospital

A Nottinghamshire patient has been sentenced after he deliberately coughed in the face of a nurse and claimed he had coronavirus.

The incident happened at an NHS hospital on March 26 at around 6.30am after a man was asked repeatedly to cover his mouth.

Mark Payne, 45, of no fixed address was arrested, charged and remanded in custody on 1 April 2020 and appeared at Nottingham Magistrates' Court on 9 April 2020 where he was sentenced for 10 weeks, suspended for six months.

He has been charged with common assault of an emergency worker under the Emergency Workers Act.

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Man charged after coughing on nurse | Other 3rd Party

Inspector Christine Busuttil said: "Nottinghamshire Police takes assaults on emergency services workers extremely seriously and protecting the health of front line NHS staff is extremely important during the current coronavirus pandemic."

Mansfield man Paul Leivers who spat at two police officers while claiming to have coronavirus symptoms was jailed for 12 months in March.

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