Newbury man David Booth used hot coffee ‘as a weapon’ against police officer

A MAN tipped hot coffee over a police officer when he was refused food in the cells.

The 42-year-old also wrote “F*** the police” in his own blood on the wall.

In the dock at Reading Magistrates’ Court was 42-year-old David Booth of London Road, Newbury.

Kathleen O’Callaghan, prosecuting, said: “The defendant was in custody over an unrelated matter when the detention officer conducted a cell check.

“He opened the hatch and placed a coffee on it.

“The defendant hit the coffee off the hatch towards the officer.”

The officer was unable to jump back in time and was hit on the stomach and chest by the scalding coffee, the court heard.

Ms O’Callaghan said the prosecution considered the hot coffee was equivalent to a weapon.

She explained Booth appeared angry because he had been refused food at the time.

The cell damage happened when Booth cut his fingernail by biting it and wrote on the wall in blood.

This created a biohazard, said Ms O’Callaghan, which meant the cell had to be disinfected and deep cleaned.

Booth admitted assault by beating, having thrown hot coffee over the officer, and causing criminal damage to the police cell, both in Reading on Friday, February 21.

He has 11 previous convictions for offences including violence, magistrates were told.

Adonis Daniel, defending, said: “Clearly, his actions were reckless but there were no injuries caused.

“It’s interesting that he wasn’t charged for the original matters for which he was arrested – and if he hadn’t been in custody, we wouldn’t be here today.

“He has never denied his responsibility but he had no intention to harm the officer at all.”

Concerning the cell damage, Mr Daniel told magistrates: “There’s lots of things on cell walls.

“But they didn’t know if he had any communicable diseases and so they did a deep clean.

“The year 2013 was when he was last in trouble.”

Booth, a roofer by trade, was fined £180.

In addition, he was ordered to pay £85 costs, plus a statutory victim services surcharge of £72.