Scooter-riding heroin dealer Anthony Greenwood breathed on police officer and screamed 'I've got coronavirus'

Anthony Greenwood, 45, was stopped by police community support officers on April 9 as he was driving through Norton.

“He was asked to remain at the scene but became aggressive to police officers,” prosecutor Rob Galley told York Crown Court.

“Initially, the defendant was insisting that the moped was a mobility (scooter) and would therefore be insured, but he was waving a small (moped) padlock around and threw an item (to the ground) which police realised was clearly a wrap of drugs.

“He insisted he hadn’t thrown the drugs and that the officer had no right to touch him,” added Mr Galley.

When an officer accused Greenwood of throwing two wraps of drugs to the ground, Greenwood flew into a rage and told them they had no proof because he had not been captured on CCTV or body-worn camera.

When an officer accused him of discarding the drugs - with a street value of over £3,000 - Greenwood swore and told officers he had coronavirus.

An officer put surgical gloves on, only for Greenwood to “breathe air in his direction”.

Greenwood, who was “roughly a metre” from the officer as he breathed on him, screamed: “I’ve got coronavirus!”

The officer said: “Don’t breathe on me – that’s an assault.”

“The defendant said he hadn’t touched him,” added Mr Galley.

“The defendant said he (had) touched his mouth and was being treated like a dog,” said the prosecutor.

Police duly found the drugs - two golf-ball-sized wraps of heroin, weighing 59g or just over two ounces, worth just under £3,700 - on the ground near Greenwood.

Further checks revealed he had no licence or insurance for the vehicle.

He was taken into custody but refused to answer police questions. He was charged with possessing heroin with intent to supply, assaulting a police officer, and driving without a licence or insurance. Greenwood only had a provisional licence for the moped.

Greenwood, of Castlegate, Malton, ultimately admitted all charges with some persuasion from his lawyer and appeared for sentence via video link on Monday.

His criminal record - consisting of 19 previous convictions for 35 offences - included serious violence, firearms offences, affray and cannabis possession.

David Camidge, for Greenwood, said his client, who had been remanded in custody since his arrest, had long-standing and “fairly-severe” mental-health issues.

Judge Simon Hickey told Greenwood: “Clearly, (breathing at officers) during this particular virus and in these circumstances must attract a custodial sentence.”

He said that while it was evident that Greenwood had been street-dealing on his scooter, he had to take account of the coronavirus pandemic on the prison population, which meant the defendant’s jail sentence would be reduced accordingly.

Nonetheless, Greenwood was given a 40-month prison sentence, of which he will serve half behind bars. He also had his licence endorsed and was given a 32-month driving ban.