Man has been convicted of head-butting a nurse at Altnagelvin Hospital in Derry

Liam Harkin (33) of St Columb’s Wells in Derry pleaded guilty to assaulting the nurse and two other members of staff at the hospital during an incident that occurred on November 24 last year.

Derry Magistrates Court was told that Harkin was heavily intoxicated when he arrived for treatment at the hospital on that date.

He was, the court was told, in an agitated state and as one of the nurses tried to help him, he “head-butted“ her. Harkin also assaulted another nurse and a doctor who tried to calm him down.

During the incident, it was described how he also ran down a hallway in the hospital and tried to get into other patients’ rooms.

Speaking during the hearing in Derry on Friday, Defence solicitor Paddy MacDermott said it was a “very distressing” incident, particularly given that it involved staff at a hospital being attacked.

Mr MacDermott said that Harkin took issue with the description of the assault on the nurse as a “head-butt” and claimed it was more a case of him “falling into” the nurse.

However, Mr MacDermott said Harkin had pleaded guilty at the first opportunity and wished to apologise for his behaviour.

The solicitor said his client claimed that he had behaved in such a terrible manner during an “episode”, when he was “coming down” from alcohol abuse.

Deputy District Judge Alan White described Harkin’s behaviour as “absolutely disgraceful”.

He said he had a choice before him of either imposing a jail sentence on Harkin for a short period and then have him released without receiving treatment for his alcohol addiction, or imposing a suspended sentence and order him to pay compensation to the victims.

Judge White said he had chosen to go with the latter and imposed a jail sentence of five months for each of the assault offences.

However, the sentences were suspended for three years.

Harkin was also ordered to pay £100 compensation to each of the victims.

Judge White said that such behaviour in a hospital ‘’cannot be tolerated’.