A MAN who wiped mucus on a police station custody desk then spat at the custody sergeant.

Blackburn magistrates were told that Jamie Lee Cunliffe was a troubled individual who had been dealt a tough hand in life.

Cunliffe, 31, of the Salvation Army, Heaton Street, Blackburn, pleaded guilty to assaulting an emergency worker. He was remanded on bail until May 11 for the preparation of a pre-sentence report.

Pam Ward, prosecuting, said the incident occurred at Darlington police station where Cunliffe was taken after being arrested on another matter in September.

Naima Hussain, defending, genuinely didn't remember what happened but accepted what the prosecution said.

She said Cunliffe had had a very tough past starting with the death of his father when he was only five years old.

"The only one of his siblings who he got on with, a sister, died in a house fire about two years ago and he has since lost his mother to an overdose," said Miss Hussain.

"All these tragedies have had a negative effect on his mental health."