A man who spayed a female prison guard with urine while on remand has been imprisoned for “administering poison” in a first-of-its-kind conviction.
22-year-old Michael Raheem, of no fixed abode, sprayed the human waste on the guard while he was awaiting trial for robbery at Her Majesty’s Prison (HMP) Belmarsh.
Initially, it looked as though Raheem could only be charged with common assault — which carries a maximum sentence of just six months, with convicts entitled to automatic early release on licence halfway through their term — until an enterprising Detective Constable proposed charging him “under Section 24 of the Offences Against the Person Act (OAPA) 1861; which calls for proof that a noxious substance has been used with intent to injure, aggrieve, or annoy.”
No-one in London had ever been prosecuted under the Victorian-era legislation in this way before, according to the Metropolitan Police — but, after a forensics team were able to prove the liquid Raheem threw over the guard was indeed urine, the strategy proved successful.
Raheem was convicted of the offence at Woolwich Crown Court — where he appeared via Skype — and given a 20-month sentence.
He was also convicted of the robbery for which he had been on remand at the time of his assault on the guard, which resulted in a six-year sentence, with the two terms to run consecutively rather than concurrently, as is often the case in Britain — although automatic early release on licence provisions will still apply to them.
“This conviction shows a real persistence and flair for innovation on the part of the officers involved; demonstrating the extra mile the Met will go to ensure the safety of, and justice for, front line staff,” remarked Detective Chief Inspector John Massey, speaking on behalf of the Met’s South East Command Unit.