Drunk man jailed after breaching Maltings cordon and biting officer

Jamie Knight, 30, bit an officer and a security guard on the hand and spat at them as they struggled to detain him.

A 29-year-old man was also arrested in relation to the incident on suspicion of obstructing a police officer but was released under investigation. On March 9, Knight ran through the cordon around the bench at The Maltings shopping centre, where Sergei and Yulia Skripal were found.

Security guard John King had to help Police Constable Jamie Ball to detain Knight, who was intoxicated after celebrating a friend’s birthday. After being arrested, he was placed in the back of a police van, where he continued to spit and headbutt the cage, leaving a trail of blood inside the vehicle.

Appearing at Swindon Magistrates’ Court on Monday (March 12), Knight was sentenced to 16 weeks in prison after admitting a racially-aggravated public order offence, assaulting a police officer, common assault and criminal damage. He was also ordered to pay £500 compensation to PC Ball and Mr King, £85 court costs and £115 victim surcharge.

Assistant Chief Constable Craig Holden said: “These cordons have been put in place around Salisbury for two very important reasons – to protect the public and to preserve scenes which may be of interest to the investigation.

“I’m sure I do not need to emphasise the seriousness of this major incident and the potentially dangerous implications of anyone ignoring our cordons. “I hope this highlights how robustly the police and the courts will deal with anyone who breaches these cordons and puts themselves and others at risk.

He added: “I recognise the disruption to local businesses and local people and want to highlight the commitment of all agencies who are working tirelessly to bring affected areas back to normality. “I would like to thank the general public who have continued to cooperate with the police and other emergency services during this complex and unprecedented investigation.”