Peterborough woman who spat at police officer - and attempted to bite another - jailed

Officers were called out to the home address of 30-year-old Fatima Majid, previously known as Rachel Askew, on 1 September last year after reports of a domestic incident.

On arrival, they were met by an intoxicated Majid who was clearly agitated and didn’t want to speak with the officers.

Trying to calm her down and prevent her from leaving the address, an officer stood in the doorway but was slapped on the arm by Majid who began shouting for the officers to leave.

Majid was arrested for assaulting a police officer and was handcuffed, but continued to be verbally aggressive and tried to bite the officer she had just slapped.

She then spat at another officer twice, which resulted in saliva and blood entering the officer’s eyes. Majid was further arrested for assaulting an officer and transported to Thorpe Wood Police Station.

Majid, of Norburn in Bretton, was charged with two counts of assaulting an emergency worker by beating, namely slapping one and attempting to bite them, and spitting at another.

After admitting the offences, she appeared at Peterborough Crown Court on Thursday (7 January), where she was sentenced to four months in prison.

Chief Constable Nick Dean said: “Police officers and staff are regularly subjected to violence and threats which too often result in injury. While the severity of such attacks change, the impact upon society does not. It is never acceptable to assume that assaults upon police officers and staff should be tolerated, it is not simply ‘part of the job’.

“The public call upon the police to help them when they are most in need. We have a duty to protect the public, but we are all too often prevented from doing so due to violent individuals who choose to attack those who are there to help them.

“Most importantly it should be remembered that police officers and staff are people, they are fathers, mothers, sons and daughters. When they are attacked they become victims just like any other, but victims who have been attacked while trying to protect others from being victimised.

“As a result of this incident, one of the officers needed treatment for 28 days – I would like to stress that, as I know in this case, the ‘impact’ of an assault can be very different from the ‘injury’ caused and the stress and anxiety the officer had to endure should not be underestimated.”