'I've got Covid': Drink driver who purposely coughed on police officer is jailed

A drink driver who told an officer he had Covid before purposely coughing on them has been put behind bars.
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Dean Mark Fulthorpe was being arrested on suspicion of drink driving when he was stopped by police on a petrol forecourt in Wakefield, Leeds Crown Court was told.

The 28-year-old was due to appear before the judge this morning, but had refused to leave his cell at HMP Leeds where he was being held on remand.

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The sentencing continued in his absence, and prosecutor Timothy Jacobs said Fulthorpe admitted a raft of charges dated between October 2018 and November 2020.

Dean Fulthorpe refused to appear in court.Dean Fulthorpe refused to appear in court.
Dean Fulthorpe refused to appear in court.

Firstly, He was spotted by police driving at speed along Wagon Lane in Upton at 2.30am on the morning of October 24, 2018.

They pursued him for around 20 minutes in which he ran red lights, drove in excess of 95 mph on a dual carriageway, and drove on the wrong side of the dual carriageway with no headlights switched on.

He admitted a charge of dangerous driving, having no insurance and possession of cannabis.

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He had already been banned from driving in 2016 and had not passed an extended test to gain back his licence.

He was also caught driving without a licence on August 4 in Upton, and on November 8, last year, along with no insurance when he was behind the wheel of a Ford Ka on the A650 heading out of Wakefield.

He was also caught driving while banned on May 28, when officers stopped him at the BP garage on Doncaster Road in Wakefield. They also noticed he was slurring.

Mr Jacobs told the court: "He told the officer he had had a few beers.

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"They searched him before putting him in the van, but he told them he had Covid and then coughed three times in the officer's face.

"It is not known if he had Covid."

It was later found that he had 90 mlgs of alcohol in 100 mls of blood. The legal limit is 80 mlgs.

He admitted drink driving, driving while banned and assaulting an officer.

Little mitigation was given by Fulthorpe's barrister, Stephen Welford who said his client had suffered a "traumatic injury" in 2019, but no other details were given out in court.

He said his client had been on remand since December 1.

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The court had been told that Fulthorpe, of Wakefield Road, Ackworth, had refused psychiatric help while in prison.

Judge Christopher Batty gave Fulthorpe a 20-month jail term, and banned him from driving for three years and 10 months.