Man who spat at PC must pay £500

AN Oldham man who claimed he was HIV positive after spitting in a policeman’s face was ordered by a judge to pay £500 compensation.

District Judge Wendy Lloyd told Yassa Altaf (28) that his behaviour had put the officer’s life on hold.

Manchester Magistrates’ Court heard the victim, a married man, had to undergo tests and was put on a course of medication.

Altaf, of Fern Street, was sentenced to a 12-month conditional discharge and given a five-month 7pm–to-7am curfew on charges of assault, possessing cannabis and being drunk and disorderly last December.

At a previous hearing magistrates heard that Altaf had fallen and cut his face after a Christmas drinking binge in Manchester city centre.

He began shouting and screaming and, while the officer was trying to help him, spat in his face. The victim believed some of Altaf’s blood went into his mouth.

Afterwards Altaf retracted the HIV claim and said he had been spitting blood out of his mouth and some accidentally hit the officer.