A man spat in former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn’s face during the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic in a row over crossing the road.
The Islington North MP was on a bike ride with wife Laura Alvarez when he gestured to allow Gerald Dore to cross in front of him.
In response, Dore, 56, hurled a torrent of foul-mouthed abuse at the couple before spitting in Corbyn’s face, Westminster Magistrates court heard.
Mr Corbyn said the incident, on May 20, left him “alarmed and distressed by the aggressive behaviour showed towards me, in particularly spitting in my face”.
Ms Alvarez, who captured part of the incident on camera, said she feared further violence from Dore due to his behaviour.
“The victims in this case are Jeremy Corbyn MP and his wife, Ms Alvarez”, said prosecutor Matt Barrowcliffe.
“On May 20, 2020, in the morning, the two were cycling and they reached the corner of Seven Sisters Road.
“Mr Corbyn saw the defendant, who was not known to him, apparently about to cross the road. He made a gesture to show him he could cross.
“The defendant said ‘f*** off you c**t. Mr Corbyn said there’s no need for that sort of language, but the defendant repeated the words and became more animated.
“He began to shout and swear aggressively towards both parties, before ultimately taking a step towards Mr Corbyn and spitting in his face.”
The prosecutor added: “A serious aggravating factor is spitting during the pandemic.”
Dore, who lives in Holloway in Islington, insisted he did not target Mr Corbyn due to his politics, saying he was unwell and suffering toothache on the day which affected his mood.
The court heard he has a string of convictions for violence, including an attack on a journalist in Finsbury Park in 2017.
Deputy District Judge Turner heard probation believe he may have “attention seeking” tendencies, posing a risk of further attacks on high-profile individuals and members of the media.
“To spit at someone in any circumstances [is bad], but to do so at a time when infections rates were very high indeed was a particularly serious thing to do”, said the judge.
“The faulty of this was entirely yours, he thought you wanted to cross the road so he stopped to let you do so.
“In return he received a barrage of abuse from you and so did Ms Alvarez.
“I’ve accepted he was not targeted by you, it was a chance encounter, but you acted in the way you did for no reason at all.”
Dore, who admitted assault and a public order offence, was sentenced to 80 hours of community service and 30 days in rehab.
He must pay £150 compensation to Mr Corbyn and £100 to Ms Alvarez, which will be deducted every fortnight from his benefits.
