Mother, 30, squirted with pepper spray spat it into an officer's eye

‘Aggressive’ mother-of-three, 30, who was hit in the face with pepper spray as she resisted arrest for domestic assault spat the ‘burning’ liquid into officer’s EYE after it got in her mouth

  • Jess Heath, 30, shouted ‘aggressively’ and twice spat at authorities arresting her
  • She had been in the process of being detained when she started resisting police
  • One officer fired pepper spray at her, which she said prompted the spitting

A mother-of-three spat pepper spray back into a police officer’s eye after it was fired into her face and mouth as she was arrested.

Jess Heath, 30, had shouted ‘aggressively’ and twice spat at authorities arresting her in Bristol on September 24 last year.

But it came after they deployed a ‘pepper spray’ type fluid called PAVA – so called because of its ingredient pelargonic acid vanillylamide – on her when she struggled against them.

Bristol Magistrates’ Court heard on Thursday she admitted assaulting and resisting PC Weekes when he was doing his duty.

Prosecutor Laura Opie said police attended a Sea Mills address in the middle of the night following a 999 call about an incident, which did not itself lead to any charge.

Jess Heath, 30, admitted assaulting and resisting PC Weekes when he was doing his duty

She added: ‘The defendant was arrested. She initially complied, but as the officers got to the bottom of the stairs, she started shouting for her partner to help.

‘She resisted and began to struggle violently. She shouted aggressively and called them ‘c***s’.

‘The defendant struggled and had PAVA sprayed on her, but she called PC Weekes a ‘p***k’ and spat twice in his face. Spit entered his eye.’

Heath later told police she had emotionally unstable personality disorder and had not meant to spit.

‘She said she’d had her hair pulled and it was a kneejerk reaction rather than malicious,’ Ms Opie told the court.

‘I appreciate she may have been suffering from a mental health condition but spitting in the eye during a Covid pandemic does aggravate the offence.’

Dorset Police, pictured, have publicised their use of Pava spray in their law enforcement

The painful power of Pava: spray is ‘worse than CS gas’

Pava is the incapaticant used by police

Pava spray is more potent than CS gas and is also used in prisons as well as on the streets.

It incapacitates its target for around 45 minutes and contains pelargonic acid vanillylamide.

Using Pava requires a level of accuracy due to the way it is fired from its container canister.

It is described as more potent than CS gas and causes problems mainly for the eyes, making them severely hurt and close up.

Members of the public are not allowed to possess it under Section 5 of the Firearms Act 1968.

Neil Brooker, mitigating, said police had attended the home over a ‘domestic incident’.

He added: ‘An allegation she had assaulted her partner is made, and she is subsequently arrested for that matter.

‘Importantly, that matter is not proceeded with. The partner didn’t pursue any complaint of assault at the time.

‘She has been diagnosed since January 2020 with emotionally unstable personality disorder. And it seems because of the stressful situation she was in, she had a dissociative episode.

‘She is walking with the officers and initially not handcuffed at all.

‘She is then forced to the floor by being pushed to the back of the head, at which point becomes extremely distressed.’

Matters worsened when police attempted to place Heath in handcuffs.

Mr Brooker said: ‘She acknowledges she resisted because she didn’t want handcuffs on her. It’s as simple as that. She accepts she used aggressive language to the officer.

‘The officer sprayed PAVA directly into her face and mouth when she was a matter of feet from him.

‘She spat to remove the PAVA from her mouth and has to accept it landed in the officer’s eye, but this wasn’t an intentional act.’

The lawyer noted the officer had described his eye ‘burning’, backing up Heath’s claim she had been clearing the spray from her mouth.

The case was adjourned to March 23 at the same court. A pre-sentence report will be made before the next hearing.

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