Man (39) ‘purposely coughed’ in faces of two police officers, court told

A man has been released on bail after denying he had “purposely coughed” in the faces of two police officers.

Brendan Walker, of Clanmorris Street, Belfast, is accused of two counts of attempted grievous bodily harm and two counts of common assault.

The 39-year-old appeared in the dock of Belfast Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, where he denied all the charges.

The court heard that two Police Service of Northern Ireland constables went to arrest him on Wednesday following allegations that he had assaulted his partner on Monday and Tuesday.

She claimed that, in one incident, he pushed her over, causing her to suffer a miscarriage.

His defence lawyer contended there is no evidence that she was pregnant.

A PSNI officer told the court: “When he was arrested he stated that he had coronavirus and continued to cough into the faces of (the two constables) from a distance of less than one metre.”

It was confirmed that the defendant is not currently known to have coronavirus.

His lawyer said the couple had been self-isolating because the defendant has asthma and a suspected chest infection, adding that he had become distressed when placed in a mask, pulling it off and coughing because of his difficulty in breathing.

District Judge Fiona Bagnall granted bail to an address to be approved by police.

The defendant must abide by a curfew and is banned from contacting his partner.

-PA