A drug user who spat in the face of a paramedic who was trying to help him has been jailed for three months.
Paramedic Luke Haines was called to Jake Finn’s home in De La Warr Road, Bexhill, after he took drugs in May last year.
But instead of thanking Mr Haines for his help, Finn instead spat in his face.
He was charged with assault, which he initially pleaded not guilty to.
But at Crawley Magistrates Court last week Finn, 24, changed his plea and was given a 12-week prison sentence.
The magistrates increased it from 10 weeks because he was assaulting an emergency worker.
The court was told how the incident happened on May 3 last year at 5.30am.
Mr Haines described feeling disgusted by what had happened and said: “It was totally unwarranted, I was there to provide a service to help him.”
Chief Inspector Simon Yates from Rother Neighbourhood Policing Team said: “This was a disgraceful incident, and reveals the unacceptable levels of abuse that our emergency service colleagues face.
“Abuse of emergency workers should not just be seen as part of the job, that is why we welcome the custodial sentence in this case.”
SECAmb Security Manager, Dave Monk, said: “The actions of this individual were disgusting and something our ambulance crews should never have to endure.
“We welcome this custodial sentence and will continue to work closely with our police colleagues to ensure those who seem to think this kind of behaviour is acceptable, are held to account for their actions.”
Finn was also ordered to pay Mr Haines £200 in compensation, and court costs of £385.
