Officers await fate after blood spat in their faces

Photo / Sarah Ivey

Three police officers face a tense three-month wait to get the all-clear after having blood spat in their faces.

The constables, based at Counties Manukau, arrested Gareth Keen early on Saturday, March 21, when he allegedly sucked blood out of an open wound and spat it at them.

They were tested on the night for any bloodborne illnesses and were cleared.

However the 31-year-old, who was charged after the grisly incident, allegedly refused to allow a doctor to test his own blood.

It takes three to six months for evidence of Hepatitis A, Hepatitis C and HIV to appear in blood tests.

Superintendent John Tims, Counties Manukau police district commander, confirmed the officers were back at work.

"The welfare of our staff is important to us and we are working to support these members and all police staff [after] this incident. Police should not be subject to this kind of violence while in the role of protecting the community," he said.

It is alleged Keen was involved in a domestic dispute before being treated at Middlemore Hospital for a deep wound in his arm.

Keen appeared in the Manukau District Court that morning where he faced four charges of assault, as well as one of threatening to kill and property damage.

His name suppression has lapsed and he will reappear in the Manukau District Court this month.