ASSAULTS on emergency workers were the most common coronavirus-related crimes prosecuted in the first six months of the pandemic, figures show. 

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said it charged 1,688 such offences between April 1 and September 30, following the UK’s first national lockdown.

Many of these involved police officers being “coughed and spat on” and others being “kicked, bitten and hit with heavy objects”, the CPS said.

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Director of public prosecutions Max Hill said the attacks were “particularly appalling” and incidents were still taking place, adding: “I will continue to do everything in my power to protect those who so selflessly keep us safe during this crisis.”

The charges were among almost 6,500 coronavirus-related crimes prosecuted in the period, according to figures published on Thursday.

Some 1,137 charges were for breaking coronavirus laws, including a man caught travelling between counties in Wales to solicit the services of a sex worker and another who claimed 15 people having a party at his house in Manchester were part of his support bubble.

Other crimes the CPS “flagged” as being coronavirus-related, for example if the offender was caught while found outside their home without a reasonable excuse, included 480 charges for public order offences, 466 for criminal damage and 464 for common assault.

Flouting coronavirus rules was regarded as an “aggravating feature” of the crimes during sentencing.

Overall, 2,106 defendants were prosecuted for 6,469 coronavirus-related offences, with a conviction rate of 90 per cent, according to the CPS.

The data includes the number of wrongful prosecutions, the CPS added, saying 286 had been “withdrawn or set aside” as of October.