Tandragee man is jailed after disorderly behaviour at hospital

Andrew Robert Henderson (27) from Portadown Road, Tandragee, admitted disorderly behaviour, assaulting a constable and resisting a constable on March 2 this year.

The court heard that at approximately 3.30am police received a report about an intoxicated male at Craigavon Area Hospital.

Henderson was refused treatment because of his aggressive behaviour and he refused to leave the hospital.

He was abusive in front of members of the public and when police went to deal with him he threw himself on the floor in the accident and emergency department.

Henderson put his arms underneath him and struggled with police officers. When he was in the police car he kicked out at the rear nearside door.

A barrister representing the defendant said this sort of behaviour in a hospital was not acceptable.

He explained that Henderson had suffered an assault and had been brought to the hospital by ambulance. He was intoxicated and cannot remember what happened.

The lawyer added that his client was in breach of a suspended sentence but this was for different types of offences.

District Judge, Mr Mervyn Bates, said those offences were for possession of drugs and theft.

The barrister said Henderson had been in a serious motorcycle accident and had been using cannabis as self-medication.

Judge Bates said his major concern was not just the nature of the offences but where they occurred and courts must mark the seriousness of this kind of behaviour in a hospital.

For the assault on police charge he imposed a sentence of four months in custody with concurrent three month terms for resisting police and disorderly behaviour.

He invoked the suspended sentence of four months to run consecutively, making a total of eight months in prison.

Henderson’s barrister said he had taken instructions to appeal and the defendant was released on his own bail of £400.