They are the frontline workers who have kept us safe during the pandemic - yet some people assault and abuse our police, NHS staff and other emergency workers.

These are the people from Kent who have been in court so far this month and convicted of assaulting an emergency worker - out of nine people listed, only one was sent to prison.

Nikkie White, 41, Eastling Close, Gillingham, appeared in court on March 1, after being charged with eight counts of assaults on emergency workers.

White, who appeared before Medway Magistrates' Court was accused of attacking police officers in Gillingham, in October last year.

She pleaded guilty to all eight counts of assault by beating an emergency worker and the court heard the attacks happened over two days in October, on PC Hall, twice; PC Prior; PC Sparkes; PC Stevens; PC Pearce; PC Howells and PC Othen.

White was given a community order for all the offences, which will include her completing an alcohol treatment programme for six months.

She was also placed under curfew for a month and must stay at her home in Gillingham between the hours of 8pm and 8am.

Magistrates also ordered she complete a rehabilitation additivity requirement for 15 days and she has been ordered to pay each officer compensation of either £40 or £70 which amounts to £500 which she will pay the court at a rate of £10 a fortnight.

White was not ordered to pay any court costs.

Donna Marie Neaves, 41, of Alexandra Road, Sheerness, appeared before Medway Magistrates' Court on March 4, where she admitted four counts of attacks on emergency workers.

Neaves, pleaded guilty to common assault on emergency workers, namely police officers in Kent, in March 2020.

She admitted assaults on PC Grace; PC Roberts; PC Williams and PC Turner.

Magistrates ordered her to carry out 160 hours' of unpaid work and she was ordered to pay £400 compensation, £100 to each officer, and will pay the courts at a rate of £10 a fortnight. Neaves was not ordered to pay court costs.

Thomas Lewis Maxwell, 31, of Dale Road, Crayford, appeared before Bromley Magistrates' Court on March 1, to be sentenced over matters he pleaded guilty to in November last year.

Maxwell had previously admitted assault by beating on an emergency worker and a common assault on another.

The court heard Maxwell assaulted PC Hayes in November last year and carried out the common assault on PC Gaszczak on the same day.

While in the dock he was also sentenced over having a meat cleaver in Orpington High Street, which he had also earlier admitted.

Maxwell was jailed for six months, but the term was suspended for two years in relation to having the meat cleaver and the attack on PC Hays, but received no separate penalty for the common assault on PC Gaszczak, but was ordered to pay him £50 compensation.

Magistrates also ordered he complete an alcohol and drug rehabilitation treatment programme for 12 months and Maxwell was also ordered to pay PC Hayes £200 compensation.

He must also pay a surcharge of £156 and £85 court costs and will pay the courts back at a rate of £50 per week.

Magistrates ordered the meat cleaver be destroyed.

Ryan Tony John Watson, 46, of Queensway, Sheerness, was accused of attacking a police officer in October last year.

He stood trial over the matter at Margate Magistrates Court on March 1 and was found guilty of assault by beating of an emergency worker, namely PC Maybank in Sheerness.

Magistrates placed him under curfew for 12 weeks and ordered he stay at his address from 6pm to 6am each day.

Watson was also ordered to complete a rehabilitation activity requirement for 15 days with the probation service.

He was ordered to pay £700 court costs, a £95 surcharge and was also ordered to pay PC Maybank £100 compensation and will pay the courts at a rate of £10 a fortnight.

Judd Osborne, 48, of Buenos Ayres, Margate, appeared before magistrates in Margate on March 1, where he admitted two counts of attacks on emergency workers.

While in the dock Osborne also admitted a charge of criminal damage on a police vehicle.

Magistrates heard he damaged a rear windscreen wiper on the vehicle which cost £50.31 to get repaired.

The court also heard Osborne assaulted by beating PSCO Butcher, in Margate in May 2019 as well as carrying out a common assault on Det Sgt Collins, on the same day.

As a result the attacks Osborne was jailed for a total of 240 days, he received no separate penalty for the criminal damage charge and was also ordered to pay PSCO Butcher £100 compensation.

Susan Ellen Winter, 66, of Windsor House, Belmont Road, Whitstable, found herself facing magistrates in Margate on March 1, where she pleaded guilty to one count of assault by beating an emergency worker and one count of being drunk and disorderly.

Winter had initially denied the charges when she appeared in court in February, but changed her plea when she appeared in the dock this month.

Magistrates heard she was drunk and disorderly at Windsor house in December and they also heard she assaulted PC Dormer on the same day.

Winter was given a 12 month conditional discharge for the offences and was ordered to pay PC Dormer £100 compensation.

She was also ordered to pay a surcharge of £21 and court costs of £100 and will pay what she owes to the courts at a rate of £20 a month.

Nicola Warne, 38, of Farmers Close, Leeds, Maidstone, appeared before Maidstone Magistrates' Court on March 5 where she admitted common assault on an emergency worker.

The court heard Warne assaulted PC Couchman in Maidstone, in December.

Magistrates ordered she complete a rehabilitation activity requirement with probation officers for 45 days.

Warne was also fined £50 and ordered to pay a surcharge of £95 to the courts, but was not ordered to pay any costs.

Mark Stephen Sanders, 53, of Glebe Lane, Barming, Maidstone, found himself appearing before magistrates in Maidstone on March 5.

Sanders was accused of assault by beating an emergency worker, namely, PC Marshall, in Maidstone in March last year.

He was also found with a quantity of cannabis, a Class B drug on the same day and pleaded guilty to that charge while in the dock.

Magistrates gave him a 12 month conditional discharge and ordered he pay a surcharge of £21 and £85 court costs. He will pay the amount he owes to the court at a rate of £20 a month and magistrates ordered the cannabis be destroyed.

Andrew Nash, 50, of Fairway Drive, Dartford, appeared at Maidstone Magistrates' Court on March 5, after he was charged with an array of offences.

Nash had been arrested in Dartford in March last year and was found in possession of two wraps of 0.2 grams of cocaine, a Class A drug. He admitted being in possession of the drug when he appeared in the dock.

He was also found with a folding lock knife, in Dartford on the same day and had previously denied the offence, but was found guilty after a trial.

He also faced a charge of criminal damage in Dartford after he was taken into custody he damaged a police cell the the value of £205. He had denied the charge, but was found guilty of this offence.

He did admit a common assault on an emergency worker, namely PC Tondeur on the same day and was ordered to pay the officer £50 compensation.

He had also previously admitted failing to turn up for an earlier court hearing at Medway Magistrates Court.

Nash was jailed for three months for all the offences, but the term was suspended for 18 months.

He was also ordered to be supervised by probation officers for 18 months and must complete a drug rehabilitation requirement for 12 months as well completing a rehabilitation activity requirement with probation officers for 26 days.

He was also ordered to pay police £132.91 for the damage to the cell.

Magistrates also ordered the cocaine and lock knife to be destroyed and Nash will pay what he owes to the court at rate of £20 a month.

Since the introduction of the Assaults on Emergency Workers Act 2018, hundreds of people who live in the county have appeared before magistrates accused of attacks on such workers.

When the new act was introduced it provided tougher sentencing powers for courts and people who committed such offences could then receive a maximum sentence from six months to a year.

However, two years later the government announced ministers were to bring forward legislation to double the maximum sentence for those convicted of assaults on frontline staff and anyone doing so, would face sentences of up to two years in jail under the new law.

Previously, Kent MP Gareth Johnson warned anyone convicted of spitting at police officers to expect jail time as he called for a "zero tolerance" approach.

He spoke out after the revelation that assaults on emergency workers across the county rose by 43% between March and October last year.

In July the year before, it was revealed a more than 1,200 Kent police officers were assaulted in the space of a year.

To read more of our in depth coverage of all of the major trials coming out of crown and magistrates' courts across the county, click here.

For information on how we can report on court proceedings, click here.

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