‘Filthy, disgusting’: Ryan Bradley Fett kept hocking up and spitting while being held in a police cell

“If you come back before the court doing anything like this again, I will have no apprehension in sending you to jail”: An apprentice refrigeration mechanic has been blasted for his gross actions.

A man who refused to stop “hocking up” and spitting while being held in a police cell has been blasted by a magistrate who described the offending as filthy and disgusting.

Ryan Bradley Fett, 21, pleaded guilty in Yeppoon Magistrates Court on September 30 to wilful damage.

The court heard that on September 4 at 7.15pm, Fett was in a holding cell at Yeppoon Police Station after being arrested for a different matter.

While seated in that cell, Fett was heard to “hock up” saliva and spit it.

A short time later, he was heard doing the same thing and police saw him spit onto the wall of the holding cell.

Police verbally warned Fett to stop spitting in the cell or he would be further charged.

Fett ignored that warning and continued to “hock up” saliva and spit it throughout the cell, on the walls and floor.

The holding cell was not able to be further used by police until it had been thoroughly cleaned.

The court heard that Fett had prior similar offending on his history.

In Gladstone Magistrates Court in April, 2019, Fett was placed on a six-month good behaviour order for a wilful damage offence.

In relation to his latest offending, Fett’s solicitor Sheryn Aspinall-Clarke said Fett currently resided at Boyne Island and at the time of committing the offence he was at Yeppoon for a St Brendan’s College rodeo.

Ms Aspinall-Clarke said Fett, who went to secondary school at Tannum Sands State High School, continued a school-based apprenticeship as a refrigeration mechanic after leaving Year 12 and had almost completed that apprenticeship with a Calliope business.

“In relation to the facts (offending), he says that he’d been drinking and he can’t remember what occurred,” she said.

“He accepts that his behaviour would have been disgusting.”

Magistrate Cameron Press said what he thought of Fett’s behaviour.

“Your actions here are disgusting,” Mr Press told Fett.

“Alcohol or no alcohol, there is no excuse for this sort of filthy behaviour.

“No-one wants to clean up the spit of someone else - but someone had to do that.

“Imagine if you had to go in and clean up the saliva of someone in a police station who had done that.

“I’m sure you would not find it enjoyable.

“It is disgusting, and if you come back before the court doing anything like this again, I will have no apprehension in sending you to jail.”

Mr Press fined Fett $850 and did not record a conviction.