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Brian Hossack • Published 2 Sep 2010 14:00
A SPORTS student has been ordered to pay compensation to a doctor and a nurse after subjecting them to a tirade of foul-mouthed abuse at Inverclyde Royal Hospital.
Matthew Cussons, 17, had to be locked in a treatment room by staff to protect patients after he flew into a drunken rage in the accident and emergency department.
Sheriff John Herald, above, told the teen he was lucky not to be going to jail when he appeared at Greenock Sheriff Court on Wednesday for sentencing.
He said: “Standing in court you may not think it, but let me tell you that you’re a very fortunate young man because I generally have a zero tolerance attitude to incidents within the hospital.
“What that normally means is that anyone who commits an offence of this nature goes to prison.
“I am not prepared to have people in hospital, be it staff or patients, subjected to incidents like this.
“I am going to admonish you, but within 28 days you will pay £100 compensation to the doctor and the staff nurse involved. They can then decide what to do with the money.”
The court previously heard Cussons, a sports student at James Watt College, had gone to the hospital, main image, at 4am claiming to have been the victim of an assault - but began screaming, shouting and swearing when police were called by staff due to his drunken state.
Standing head bowed in the dock, Cussons said he was ashamed of his conduct.
Depute fiscal Clifford Most said Cussons’ mother was contacted by concerned medics as he was warned about his behaviour.
He added: “The accused began to shout and swear at police. He was warned about his behaviour and medical staff were forced to get involved, closing doors to other patient cubicles to prevent people getting upset.”
Cussons, of Cumberland Road, Greenock, admitted obstructing and hindering a male doctor and female nurse at the IRH, shouting, swearing and refusing to comply with medical staff on 6 December last year.
Defence solicitor Alasdair Hendry said: “He comes before the court a very chastened young man. He can give no explanation for what he did, apart from the fact he had been drinking earlier. He has been undertaking voluntary work tying in with his course at James Watt College.”
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde chief executive Robert Calderwood said: “We have a strict zero tolerance policy towards violence against our staff, who are entitled to work free of threats, assaults and intimidation.
“We take very seriously any act of physical or verbal abuse.
“We fully encourage staff in their pursuit of taking the perpetrators of violence against them through the justice system, and offer extensive support to any member of staff who has been assaulted, either physically or verbally. We are therefore pleased with yesterday’s action.”
This article appeared in Greenock Telegraph 02 Sep 10
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