Man jailed for spitting at West Midlands bus drivers as National Express arms staff with DNA kits

A 50-year-old man has been jailed after he spat at bus drivers in two separate incidents
Joe Forte
By Joe Forte
Published 10th Jun 2022, 12:08 BST

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A man has been jailed for spitting at a bus driver for National Express West Midlands.

All 3,500 bus drivers at the company will now carry a DNA spit kit to help police track anyone who spits at them or their customers, with the company warning that any offensive or criminal behaviour towards its staff will not be tolerated.

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A 50-year-old man spat at local bus drivers in two separate incidents.

In May, the man, who hasn’t been named by National Express West Midlands, was sentenced to six months in prison after DNA and CCTV evidence captured by the bus company helped police to identify and track down the offender.

The spit kits - which feature swabs, gloves and sealed bags – allow staff to take saliva samples and protect them from contamination before sending them to police for forensic analysis.The spit kits - which feature swabs, gloves and sealed bags – allow staff to take saliva samples and protect them from contamination before sending them to police for forensic analysis.
The spit kits - which feature swabs, gloves and sealed bags – allow staff to take saliva samples and protect them from contamination before sending them to police for forensic analysis.

What have safety campaigners said about the jail sentence?

The West Midlands Victims’ Commissioner, Nicky Brennan, added: “I welcome this jail sentence as it goes to show that behaviour like this towards bus drivers will not be tolerated. Just two years ago, at the height of the pandemic, we stood on our doorsteps applauding our frontline heroes.

“They do not deserve to be subject to such awful behaviour and in my role as Victims Commissioner I will do all that I can to support them.”

What has National Express West Midlands said about keeping drivers safe?

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David Bradford, Managing Director of National Express West Midlands, said: “Spitting is disgusting and is distressing for our drivers and customers. It is also a criminal offence. Nobody should be subjected to this shocking behaviour.

“Working closely in partnership with the Safer Travel policing team, the spit kits used by our drivers give us irrefutable DNA evidence to help the police track down offenders and secure convictions at court.

“We also have CCTV all over our buses to give police crystal clear images.

“National Express West Midlands welcomes this recent sentencing and we are grateful to the Safer Travel policing team for their quick work in this case. This sends a clear message that we will not tolerate any offensive behaviour towards any of our staff.”

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