Spit kit used to convict
A WALLASEY man has been found guilty of a “disgusting” attack on a traffic warden who had caught him parking on a yellow line.Jean Paul Lea, of Kenilworth Road, spat in the face of NCP warden Peter Fulton, snatched his digital camera and threw it in his face. He then drove over the camera.
Despite being distraught and bruised, Mr Fulton preserved the saliva, enabling his supervisors to use a “spit kit” to take a sample and prove it was Lea who attacked him.
Lea, 28, had left his Vauxhall Vectra in Conway Street, Liscard, on January 19 while he attended a gym and was looking out of a window to check he was not getting a ticket.
Mr Fulton said: “I was going through my procedure when I heard shouting and saw a man running from the opposite side of the road.
“He said he had only been in the gym. I told him he was not allowed to park there and I had issued the penalty charge.
“He was irate, angry and aggressive and then spat in my face. He grabbed the camera and threw it, catching me on the side of the head.”
Lea, who has no previous convictions, said: “When I parked there, I knew there was a chance I could get a ticket but there was nowhere else to park.
“When I saw the warden at my car, I ran across and I was angry. I was calling him all the names under the sun.
“I am sorry for spitting. It was disgusting and I let myself down.”
Lea was found guilty of assault and criminal damage.
Sentencing was adjourned until June 6 to await probation reports.