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The attack happened at Leicester Royal Infirmary’s Urgent Care Centre
A man high on drugs stabbed a hospital security guard in the arm with a broken crack-cocaine pipe and assaulted a nurse.
Christopher Stringer also kicked a police officer after he was arrested, a court heard.
He was jailed for a total of 13 months after admitting wounding and two common assaults, at Leicester Royal Infirmary’s urgent care unit, in the early hours of November 9.2
Stringer, 50, took a cocktail of crack-cocaine and ecstasy, before arriving at hospital slumped in a wheelchair.
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Auxiliary nurse, Jennifer Bertwistle, asked him to “sit up” during her assessment but he said he was in too much pain, so she asked a security guard to help.
Alan Murphy, prosecuting, said: “Meanwhile he fell out of the wheelchair when a female with him tried to get him to sit up.
“Miss Bertwistle and the guard, Gurvinder Sihra, tried to sit him up (on the floor), but he grabbed the nurse by the forearm with both hands saying ‘Get the f*** off me.’
“Mr Sihra told him his behaviour wouldn’t be tolerated and told him to relax.
“Stringer then punched him several times to his arm and chest.
“Mr Sihra realised his arm was bleeding and noticed the defendant had a broken tube (part of a crack-cocaine pipe) in his left hand.”
He suffered a deep cut needing stitches and Miss Bertwistle also suffered two scratches on her arm from the pipe.
More security staff were summoned and Stringer violently kicked out at Mr Sihra as he left the room.
When the police arrived he was back in the wheelchair pretending to be asleep.
Stringer, of William Iliffe Street, Hinckley, began swearing when he was arrested and officers recovered the other part of the broken crack-cocaine tube from his pocket.
As he was placed in a police vehicle, he slumped down and then kicked out at police sergeant, Joseph Postlethwaite, just above his knee.
He only calmed down when warned he would be pepper sprayed.
In interview he said he could not remember much after arriving at hospital, but accepted the crack-cocaine pipe was his.
Sentencing, Judge Nicholas Dean QC said: “The only explanation for your offending seems to be a relapse into drug use.
“You have some understanding how serious it is to behave like that to hospital staff, who were merely trying to assist you.
“Immediate prison is inevitable for offences of violence towards hospital staff.”
James Thomas, mitigating for Stinger who appeared via a live courtroom video link from HMP Leicester, said he told me ‘I’m disgusted with myself; I’ve never been violent in my life.’
“He’s asked me to express his regret and remorse to the complainants for his completely unacceptable behaviour.
“He’s been using drugs for many years but not been to prison for 20 years or more.
“Between 2007 and 2014 he was clean of drugs and working as a freelance engineer and, from January this year, was on contracts with Jaguar and Land Rover.
“His partner was carrying twins but lost them and surgery was required as one was an ectopic pregnancy; although he knows that’s not a credible excuse for what he did.
“He used crack and ecstasy and he wasn’t fully aware of his actions and behaved out of character.”
Stringer was also dealt with for a commercial burglary of tools from a Jewson’s store in Oxford and failing to answer bail, which he admitted.
He was told he would have to pay a 900 criminal courts charge, although Judge Dean said he could have five years to pay.
A spokesperson for Leicester’s Hospitals, said after the hearing: “Violence against NHS staff is simply unacceptable .
Our staff come to work to care for others and not to become victims of violence.
“We will be working closely with the police to see how we can further protect our staff in future.”
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References
- ^ Comments (0) (www.leicestermercury.co.uk)
- ^ at Leicester Royal Infirmary’s urgent care unit, in the early hours of November 9. (www.leicestermercury.co.uk)
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