Jailed for coughing at pharmacy worker
A MAN who coughed deliberately near a pharmacy assistant in order to put her in fear of her safety has been jailed.
Christopher Carter, 26, of 30, Sous Les Hougues, Vale, was found guilty of coughing on purpose without putting a hand over his mouth at The Queen’s Road Pharmacy after he was told that his prescription was not ready.
He admitted assaulting the woman with the words he used, but said the cough had been unintentional.
Magistrate’s Court judge Gary Perry found in the prosecution’s favour following a hearing.
Sentencing Carter to six months in prison, Judge Perry said it had been the most unpleasant and serious offence he had had to deal with since the lockdown had been imposed.
The defendant got some credit for his guilty plea but he had not been truthful when it came to the most aggravating part of the offence.
The situation the defendant now found himself in had been of his own making.
‘You are someone who takes all your problems out on other people,’ said Judge Perry.
‘The fact that it happened during the lockdown is of itself aggravating, but in your case it was against a key frontline worker and other innocent members of the public.’
The sentence had to have an element to act as deterrent for anyone else who might consider doing the same.
The victim had told the trial how the defendant had coughed as he left the pharmacy and she was in no doubt that it was forceful and deliberate.
‘I automatically thought he had the virus [Covid-19] and started to panic,’ she said.
The woman was tested for the virus but that was negative.
Advocate Julia Schaefer said her client had mental health and emotional issues. He had pleaded guilty to a verbal assault from the off.
It was four years since his last offence of violence. He had been in custody already for one month.
He feared that if sentenced to more then two months in prison he would lose his States housing which would only aggravate his needs.
He had been remorseful and had written a letter to the court.
Judge Perry said the content of the letter went contrary to what he had found at trial and as a result it did not hold much weight with him.
The defendant had a poor record, he said.
