Racist from Seacroft who spat at Leeds police officer is jailed

Simon Hill, of the Rein, Seacroft, became religiously and racially abusive after officers attended a report that he had been assaulted, Leeds Crown Court heard

Chloe Fairley, prosecuting, said Hill, who had suffered a head injury, racially abused a male officer and a female officer, before spitting in her direction after claiming he had Hepatitis C.

The court heard two officers took 34-year-old Hill to St James's Hospital for treatment.

Hill continually abused one officer within earshot of hospital staff during the two hour wait for him to be seen for treatment.

Miss Fairley said Hill made comments about slitting the throats of any children the officer may have as he continued to be abusive during the incident in February.

Miss Fairley said Hill claimed his human rights were being breached because the officer had touched his skin.

The court heard the nurse who was due to treat Hill refused to do so because of the continued abuse.

Reading a victim impact statement from the officer who was abused at St James's Hospital, Miss Fairley said: "He said the level of abuse and the fact the abuse was overheard by colleagues and hospital staff was upsetting.

"He said the defendant's actions and behaviour would stay with him for the rest of his career."

Referring to the female officer's victim statement, Miss Fairley said : "Being spat at was particularly degrading, especially when the defendant potentially had Hepatitis C, as he had been claiming."

Hill admitted racially aggravated common assault and religiously aggravated threatening/abusive/insulting words/behaviour.

Hill has 52 previous convictions for 117 offences including a number of public order act offences.

Stephen Welford, mitigating, said : He accepts his behaviour was unacceptable. It was disgraceful."

Mr Welford said Hill suffers from drug induced psychosis, was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2017 and has had one lung removed.

Jailing Hill for 13 months, Judge Christopher Batty told him: "I have been in this job for 11 years and this is the worst episode of racial abuse in terms of its persistent nature that I have come across."