A court heard he was left with 'bruised and swollen testicles'
A man and a woman who spat in a policeman’s face and kicked him in the groin during a violent disturbance at Swansea train station have been given community orders.
The PC suffered “bruised and swollen” testicles in the attack, and underwent blood tests to check if he had caught any diseases from the spittle.
Swansea Magistrates’ Court heard the pair responsible for the assault - Natasha Williams and Brian Bettis - had travelled from Llanelli to Swansea for the afternoon but were so drunk they couldn’t remember anything about the incident.
Sharon Anderson, prosecuting, said that at 3.30pm on March 1 staff at Swansea’s High Street station called police to deal with two “unruly” people on the main concourse.
A British Transport Police officer responded, and found Williams and Bettis arguing and shouting in front of passengers, and “continually using the f-word”.
The court heard the officer escorted them out of the station and told them to stop swearing, but the arguments continued.
The prosecutor said the officer stepped between the warring parties and Bettis responded by spitting in his face, the phlegm landing near his mouth.
Williams then became aggressive and was taken to the floor, where she began kicking out at the officer.
The court heard the pair were arrested and taken into custody, and while Williams was being put in a cell she kicked the officer in the groin.
The PC was taken to hospital suffering with “bruised and swollen” testicles and pulled stomach muscles.
Bettis, aged 29, of Station Road in Llanelli , and 28-year-old Williams, of Frondeg Terrace, Llanelli, both pleaded guilty to being drunk and disorderly and to assaulting a constable.
The court heard Bettis was on post-custodial supervision at the time of the attack following a previous conviction for possession of a bladed article.
In his police interview Bettis said he had drunk a bottle of Mad Dog alcohol on the day in question and couldn’t remember anything - when asked to rate his level of drunkenness on a scale of one-to-10 he said “30”. He said if he had behaved in the way described, he was “disgusted” with himself.
In Williams’s interview she said the friends had taken a taxi from Llanelli to Swansea and gone to a bar - but had no idea why they were in the station. She too said she couldn’t remember the events of St David’s Day, but the incident was “the kind of thing” she does when she is intoxicated.
The court heard Bettis was now trying to turn his life around, and was staying with an alcohol and drug rehab charity in Abertillery.
District judge Neale Thomas described the March 1 incident as “unpleasant”, and said the police, and public, needed to be protected from such behaviour - but that non-custodial sentences were appropriate in this case.
For assaulting the police officer Bettis was fined £75 and given a 12 month community order with a rehabilitation requirement - he must also pay the officer £75 compensation; Williams was given a 12 month community order with an alcohol treatment programme and a 12-week nightly curfew - she must pay the officer £100 compensation. Both defendants must also pay £85 costs and an £85 court surcharge.
No separate penalties were imposed for being drunk and disorderly.
http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/local-news/policeman-spat-kicked-groin-drunken-12778280
This dear man may have got drunk a lot but he was one of the finest souls I've ever had the privilege to know, he drank a lot but when sober he had a beautiful nature, kind and gentle. RIP Brian (Will) Bettis, you will always be in my heart.
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