Gillingham bully jailed for attacks on emergency workers and terrorising former partner in Chatham
08:37, 31 October 2020
updated: 17:42, 03 November 2020
A mum and her two children fled their Chatham home after her jealous ex-lover arrived carrying a can of petrol.
Bearded bully Aaron Trotter, 33, then went into a bedroom where their children were sleeping – before taking the family's two dogs.
Maidstone Crown Court heard the woman was so frightened she "grabbed" the youngsters and hid in an alleyway until police arrived.
But a judge heard that Trotter – believed to be high on drugs and drink – then launched a vile racist and homophobic attack on police officers spitting at them repeatedly claiming he had Covid-19.
Prosecutor Lucy Luttman said that even when a nurse, Lisa Brett, went to help, he began spitting at her.
The paramedic later told the judge in a Victim Impact Statement: "I have been working for 22 years and I have been threatened verbally abused and assaulted.
"However, all of the things I have witnessed, I have never seen anything as vile and disgusting as (Trotter's) behaviour. After this incident I said to myself I don't want to do this job any more.
"We do this job to help people and it's unacceptable that any of us are treated this way and I wouldn't wish him on my worst enemy."
Trotter, from Gillingham – who was in breach of a suspended jail sentence for a similar attack – has now been jailed for 15 months after admitting six offences including four attacks on emergency workers, breach of a restraining order and a racially aggravated harassment.
Ms Luttman said that in March of this year Trotter and his partner – who had been together for nine years – were estranged because of what his ex-lover described as "his jealous behaviour and drug use".
The previous year a restraining order had been taken out after an incident at the victim's home, and Trotter was banned from going there.
"On September 2 this year, shortly before 11pm, the victim was upstairs when she heard her back door close.
"She went to investigate and saw the defendant walking upstairs. He had a petrol can in his hand and as he walked he was undoing the cap. She told him to get out as she was going to call the police.
"He responded by saying: 'Go on then, they had best hurry up. I'll show you'. His eyes were wide and he and he was very loud and slurring his words."
The victim, who could smell petrol, watched as he walked between the sleeping children before going to a window.
The prosecutor added: "She grabbed the children and ran out of the house into an alley and remained on the phone talking to the police for 10 minutes."
Trotter then left the house taking the family dogs, two American bulldogs, and when he was then confronted by police officers he used the "growling and barking" animals as a barrier.
Ms Luttman said that Trotter then accused the police of harassing him and refused to secure the animals after threatening to set the dogs on them.
"He appeared to be calming down when he was arrested but as he was being cuffed he started to shout at other officers, calling PC Nathan O'Hara a "******"
"As he was being taken to the police car, he threw himself to the ground and was holding his breath and began thrashing around banging his head on the ground."
An ambulance arrived but when the paramedic arrived she described Trotter's behaviour as "vile" as he called another officer a "**** ****"
The court heard how he then threatened to spit in another officer's face, but instead spat in the face of Ms Brett as she was treating him. He then called over another officer and spat at him.
'Spitting is a horrible act by any person...'
"On the way to hospital he told officers: "I have got Corona and I am going to spit and give it to you' and carried on spitting at "anyone and everyone".
PC Tom Roberts told the court in his statement: "This incident has left me feeling dirty and unclean. Being spat at is not what I come to work to have done to me and I feel I have been disrespected.
"Spitting is a horrible act by any person."
Kerry Waitt, defending, said Trotter now felt ashamed and remorseful for his behaviour.
The judge ordered the 18 weeks of the suspended sentence in addition to the 15 months.
PC Jennifer Talan, Kent Police’s investigating officer for the case, said: "Trotter’s behaviour on the night of his arrest fell well short of what is acceptable.
"An innocent woman was subjected to significant distress because he breached a restraining officer and he then went on to commit several degrading assaults against emergency services personnel.
"The attending officers treated him with courtesy and respect throughout and in response he spat at three of them and used horrendous racist slurs. He also subjected an ambulance service employee to a degrading assault.
'Trotter’s behaviour on the night of his arrest fell well short of what is acceptable...'
"All officers accept that their job can expose them to danger, but that does not make it acceptable for them to be assaulted while they are trying to keep the public safe. I am pleased the courts have enforced a custodial sentence which clearly demonstrates behaviour like this will not tolerated."
Will Bellamy, South East Coast Ambulance Service’s Medway and North Kent operation unit manager said: "Our frontline clinicians are here to help people not to be assaulted or abused.
"We hope this offers a warning to others that such abuse of the emergency services won’t and shouldn’t be tolerated particularly when there is clear aggressive intent.
"Such cases leave their mark on our staff not only physically but emotionally. We have a duty to do everything we can to protect them and ensure when cases like this happen, we support criminal proceedings."
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