A DRUNKEN man spat blood at an officer, racially abused another and urinated and smeared blood around a cell at Leamington police station.
Duljit Kandola was jailed for eight months for the offences, which began with an incident at a pub in Whitnash in March last year.
Kandola, who gave his address as Markham Drive, Whitnash, had pleaded guilty to racially aggravated harassment, assaulting emergency workers and causing criminal damage.
Police were called to the pub where Kandola had been reported being abusive. When a female officer and a male colleague arrived and spoke to Kandola, he began breathing heavily into her face, trying to deliberately spray blood and saliva in his breath – ten days before the first lockdown.
Police handcuffed him, at which Kandola kicked the male officer to his leg, so he was taken to the ground.
Kandola punched out at the male officer and tried to spit blood into his face and to bite him – so a spit hood was placed over his head.
Back-up was called as he continued to struggle and kicked the female officer to her leg.
Other officers arrived, but Kandola continued to resist arrest, spitting blood at one officer and shouting abuse at them.
He repeatedly shouted comments such as ‘white bastards’ at some of the officers, and when he was put into a police van he called a black officer a ‘n****r.’
He then apologised for that, only to then add: “I’ll call it you again, you n****r.”
Then while in custody at Leamington police station, Kandola smeared blood on the walls and door and urinated on the floor.
Balraj Bhatia QC, defending, said: “He is horribly appalled and ashamed about his behaviour. The 13th of March 2020 will remain with him for a significant period of time.”
Mr Bhatia said Kandola had travelled from Edinburgh, where he works as an IT specialist, to stay with his sister in Leamington to remember their father who had died in 2018.
He had been drinking and went out to buy more alcohol, going to the pub his father used to frequent, to ‘raise a glass’ to him.
Mr Bhatia added: “His behaviour can only be described as bizarre. He is not used to strong alcohol. He was asked to leave and behaved, as he now accepts, in an unreasonable and belligerent manner.
“What happened, happened fast, and it is conceded he behaved badly.”
Mr Bhatia argued there had been ‘a heavy-handed approach’ towards Kandola, but conceded: “His behaviour would undoubtedly cause concern to the police.
“He is appalled and ashamed. He has been so ashamed of this that he has not dared even to tell his sister.”
Because he had been too ashamed to tell anyone, he did not have any references to put before the court, but arguing for a suspended sentence, Mr Bhatia added: “There are people who would say this is horribly out of character.”
But jailing Kandola, Judge Lockhart told him: “This was ten days before the lockdown, when the country was in the grip of a pandemic. You had to be placed into a spit hood because you were spitting blood.
“I am afraid I find myself absolutely certain that appropriate punishment can only be met by immediate custody in this case.”
