A man spat at paramedics and police who were trying to help him outside a Tesco store amid concerns he was unwell.

Graham Nettingham, from Dover, also kicked out at the ambulance crew before being taken to hospital where he tried to bite a female officer and swore at other patients.

A court heard that a month earlier he had smashed a glass door at a Job Centre after becoming fed-up with waiting to be seen.

The 53-year-old alcoholic, who also has a long history of drug misuse, appeared before magistrates in Folkestone this month.

Julie Farbrace, prosecuting, said Nettingham was at the Job Centre in Maison Dieu Road, Dover, on August 15 last year when he argued with the manager and started kicking the door until the glass shattered.

“This was also seen by two other staff and caught on CCTV and he was later identified,” she said.

“The other set of offences happened on September 27 after two paramedics had been called to outside the Tesco store in Whitfield after concerns for his welfare.

“He was under the influence and began to be aggressive with them as they tried to help him.

“He kicked out at them and spat and it landed on one paramedic’s leg. He kicked out at both of them but didn’t cause any real injury.”

At this point, police were called to assist the medics in getting Nettingham escorted to the William Harvey Hospital in Ashford.

But when he got there, he then spat in a female officer’s face.

“Then he said they all need to get tested as he’s got Hepatitis B,” Ms Farbrace said.

“He also started striking out at them and was trying to bite them as they were trying to help him and he became even more aggressive.”

Nettingham, of Hawkesbury Street, then started calling other members of the public at the hospital “****s”.

He was later charged with three counts of assault on an emergency worker, threatening behaviour and criminal damage. He pleaded guilty to all five offences when he appeared before magistrates on March 15.

The court was told he had breached a conditional discharge he’d been given for another offence when he reoffended.

After his arrest in September, Nettingham told officers he had taken drugs that day and panicked when the paramedics were trying to help him. He said he had kicked off at the Job Centre in August as he had been kept waiting for hours.

Ms Farbrace said both paramedics had written victim impact statements to say they were worried afterwards about what disease he did have.

The female police officer said it was not acceptable to be treated in such a way while she was trying to help him and just doing her job. She said distress had also been caused to other members of the public who were unwell in the hospital and had heard and seen his behaviour.

Donna Wilde, defending, told magistrates her client didn’t remember the September incident and is embarrassed by his behaviour.

She said he has some mental health issues and had not long managed to get a council property which he would lose if jailed.

A probation officer tasked to speak with Nettingham before he was sentenced told the court the defendant’s substance misuse was still an issue.

He said Nettingham still dabbled with heroin once a month and was taking Xanax which he got for £2 a tablet from the internet.

The probation officer suggested magistrates order a Drug Rehabilitation Requirement which would help the defendant with his problem and also suggested he attend rehabilitation days.

Magistrates said his offences were of a vicious nature and he had shown little remorse for his crimes, which passed the custody threshold.

The bench considered their sentencing powers were insufficient, so sent his cases to Canterbury Crown Court to be dealt with.

Nettingham was granted bail with a condition that he can’t go out in public with any alcohol, but he was later jailed for a year for the offences.

It was not revealed during the hearing if the defendant did actually have Hepatitis B.