Boy and two men arrested after coronavirus-related assaults

A 14-YEAR-OLD boy has been charged after a woman was allegedly coughed on and spat at in Greater Manchester, while a 38-year-old man accused of spitting blood in the face of police officers has been remanded in custody.

There have been multiple reports of people deliberately coughing at others, including NHS staff, in an attempt to frighten them as anxiety grows amid the coronavirus outbreak.

The teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons, has been charged with one count of section 39 assault and will appear at the youth bench of the Tameside magistrates court on April 7, police said.

Separately, Samuel Konneh, 38, was remanded in custody at Manchester and Salford magistrates court on Saturday. The court heard that the defendant is accused of four counts of attempted grievous bodily harm with intent relating to the spitting at the officers.

Police were responding to reports of a woman being assaulted in south Manchester, on Thursday when the defendant allegedly spat at them.

The defendant is also accused of one count of stalking and one of battery, relating to a female victim. All the offences were alleged to have taken place on Thursday, and no pleas were entered.

Also in Manchester, Mateusz Rejewski, 33, has been charged with assault after allegedly coughing at a police officer and claiming to have the coronavirus.

Greater Manchester police said he was charged with one count of common assault on an emergency service worker – who is now self-isolating as a precaution – and one count of breaching a dispersal notice.

Rejewski has been remanded in custody and will appear at Manchester magistrates court on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, a group of teenagers in Cheshire who claimed to have coronavirus and deliberately coughed at NHS staff will be prosecuted, police have said.