A MAN who spat at a police officer and in the back of a police van has received a community order.

Qaddus Butt Ahmed, 24, had previously been fined £200 by magistrates for a racially aggravated verbal assault on a police officer during the same incident in August 2020.

He was also sentenced for drug driving in June 2020 while more than three times over the cannabis limit.

He admitted assaulting an emergency worker, criminal damage and being in charge of a motor vehicle while over the specified limit of a controlled drug.

Ahmed, of Granville Road, Bradford, was spotted by police in the drivers seat of a VW Jeta on South View in Bradford. The car was stationary but the engine was running.

There was a smell of cannabis coming from the car and the officer found small bits of cannabis on the console, as well as smoking paraphernalia in the car.

Then in August Ahmed was found in the same car at 5.30am on Kensington Street in Bradford. He told police he was drunk and began to get aggressive when told to take a breathalyser.

Bradford Crown Court heard that Ahmed was verbally abusive and spat at one officer, hitting his shoulder, and needed to be physically restrained for his own safety.

He continued to spit inside the back of the police van, which needed a £40 deep clean afterwards.

Ahmed was subject to a suspended sentence at the time.

Ahmed's barrister said he was diagnosed with ASD and had been dealing with two sudden deaths in the family at the time and had begun consuming alcohol to cope.

He had moved to Aylesbury to live with his sister, and was working as a delivery driver.

Judge Colin Burn said it had been a "disgusting way to behave" towards the police, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic, but he added that he was not sure Ahmed had entirely known what he was doing at the time.

Ahmed was made subject to a 12 month community order and must carry out 180 hours of unpaid work. He was also disqualified from driving for three months and must pay costs of £250.