Dorset Police Officer hospitalised with coronavirus back on frontline duties
He contracted COVID-19 two days after he was spat at while on duty
A Dorset Police Officer who tested positive for COVID-19 just days after he was spat at is back on frontline duties.
The officer, who is not being named, was admitted to hospital in January with a constant searing headache, muscle pains, chronic fatigue and loss of appetite.
He began to improve after 15 days but remained short of breath.
This week Steven Licorish, 41, of Bath Road in Bournemouth, pleaded guilty to assault by beating of an emergency worker and being drunk and disorderly in a public place following the incident.
Speaking after the hearing the officer said:
"I will never know or be able to prove that I contracted COVID-19 from this incident. However, I am extremely angry and upset that he spat at me, exposing me to the risk of infection. Thankfully my family was not infected.
“It took many weeks for me to recover, but thankfully I have now returned to frontline duties. It is totally unacceptable to spit at someone, but to do so in the midst of a global pandemic is deplorable.”
Chief Constable James Vaughan said:
“Our officers and staff demonstrate commitment, courage and dedication on a daily basis. They signed up to help protect the public, not to come into work each day with the risk of being assaulted, attacked or verbally abused. Spitting at officers is particularly abhorrent during the public health emergency we are all facing. While the officers’ infection could not be directly linked to what happened, it puts into perspective the dangerous nature of policing.
“The impact such assaults can have on our officers and staff, their colleagues and their families can have serious consequences and we will do all we can to bring criminal proceedings against those responsible.”