Shrewsbury man spat at police and said 'I will stab you' as they tried to get into his home
A Shrewsbury man who spat at police officers who were trying to get into his home has been told to pay £186 and stay out of trouble.
Lee James also said he would stab the officers, who had attended the address on a 999 call, if they got inside.
Telford Magistrates Court heard on Tuesday that police were called to the home in Shrewsbury on June 21 this year "on unrelated domestic matters".
Prosecutor Mrs Sharan Gill said James, 33, was inside at the time and refused to let the officers in.
After they made attempts to get in through both the front and back doors, he opened a window and spat in their direction, the court heard.
"He opened the window and he spat at Pc [Alexander] Kinsey. The spit landed in front of his foot."
The spitting landed James with a charge of assaulting a constable, to which he pleaded guilty in Tuesday's hearing.
Mitigating for him to the magistrates, Mr Brendan Reedy told the court that it was James who called police to the home during an argument with his partner, and no criminal activity had been disclosed.
He said police had kicked a hole in the back door in their efforts to get in, and that a sweary shouting match between James and the officers ensued.
"He does say 'I will stab you'," he admitted.
"I can't work out how well-aimed the spit is, but it doesn't hit [Pc Kinsey]."
The magistrates handed down a conditional discharge lasting six months. It means James, of Oakfield Drive, will not receive any punishment immediately.
He was ordered to pay a contribution towards prosecution costs of £120 and a victim surcharge of £26.
