A MAN has been jailed for five months after spitting at a woman and shouting abuse at her, and throwing another woman to the ground.
The Magistrate’s Court heard on Friday that Andrew David Johnstone (42) was abusive towards a staff member of Shelter Trust Jersey who was supposed to help him move home.
On a later occasion he pushed another woman over in a row about money.
Advocate Jordan Gollop, prosecuting, said the Shelter Trust adviser went to Johnstone’s home at 10.30am on 6 May.
He said: ‘Mr Johnstone stood in the hallway and was immediately abusive, telling her to leave.
‘As she went to leave Mr Johnstone spat at her. It landed on her handbag.’
He was arrested and was unco-operative when interviewed by the police.
On 15 September he was drinking with a woman and at 6pm asked her to give back money he had given her earlier, to buy fish and chips.
When she refused, a row broke out. Advocate Gollop said: ‘He threw her to the ground.
‘A member of the public saw it.’
Police arrested Johnstone again and the advocate added: ‘He was largely unco-operative. He denied the assault and said the witness had misunderstood the situation.’
The court heard that Johnstone had ‘numerous previous convictions, largely related to drunken behaviour’.
Advocate Chris Baglin, defending, said Johnstone accepted he was facing jail rather than a non-custodial sentence and would welcome a chance to ‘detox’ from alcohol behind bars.
He said: ‘It has diminished and blighted his adult life.’
Advocate Baglin added: ‘There is genuine remorse.’
Assistant Magistrate Peter Harris said of the spitting: ‘If it had landed on the woman and not her handbag we would be looking at a very different level of sentence, but that was good luck rather than judgment.’
Of the second assault, he added: ‘If someone falls to the ground there is always a risk.’
He sentenced Johnstone to two months’ imprisonment for the first assault and three months for the second, to be served consecutively.
